Box Score Riverside—The UC Riverside Volleyball Team celebrated the careers of its two seniors—Maddie Hubbell and Cristina Maietta—Friday evening, but the Highlanders dropped a four-set decision to CSUN to close out the home portion of their 2016 schedule.
Hubbell finished the night with 20 digs, moving her into tenth place on the Big West Conference career digs list with 1,683.
SET 1 (27-25)
CSUN jumped out to early leads of 5-1 and 8-2 before UC Riverside Head Coach Michelle Patton-Coleman called her first time out. She called her second time out with the Highlanders trailing 15-8, and UCR came out of that break in the action guns blazing, scoring nine of the next 13 points to slice the lead to one, 18-17.
It was still a one-point Matadors advantage at 21-20, when CSUN ran off three straight. The Highlanders fought off four set points to tie the score, and shrugged off another set point at 25-24.
Mickayla Sherman's kill gave UCR its first lead of the set, and Meg Graham's fourth kill of the night gave the Highlanders the win, 27-25.
Brooke Callahan also had four kills for UC Riverside, while Chelsea Doyle added 13 assists. Maddie Hubbell was credited with three digs inching her ever-closer to the Big West Conference's career top-10 list.
Aeryn Owens' had nine kills to lead the Matadors, and Lauren Conati added 13 assists
SET 2 (17-25)
CSUN jumped out to another early lead scoring the first three points of set number two. UC Riverside cut the advantage to two on a number occasions, the last of which came at 14-12. The Matadors slowly pulled away, and scored the final three points of the set for the 25-17 win.
Maietta's five kills paced the Highlanders, and Doyle added 10 more assists to give her 23. Hubbell contributed four digs to move to within 13 of the conference's career top-10 list.
Owens had five kills in the second to lead CSUN, and Conati added 14 assists.
SET 3 (19-25)
The Matadors scored the first three points of the set for the third time on the night, and although UCR tied the score at three, CSUN never trailed in taking a two-sets-to-one lead.
The key stretch of the set came with UCR trailing 10-8. The Matadors promptly scored three straight points, and seven of the next 11 to go up 17-11. The Highlanders got to within two on two occasions at 18-16 and 19-17, but it was too little too late, as CSUN scored the six of the final eight to take set number three, 25-19.
Graham's four kills led the Highlanders giving her a team-high 11 for the night. Brooke Callahan and Maietta each had 10 after the third. Doyle recorded another 12 assists, and Hubbell moved to within six digs of the league's career top-10 list.
Owens had six kills to give her 20 on the night, and Julie Haake added six to give her 12. Conati increased her assist total to 41 with 14 in the third.
SET 4 (20-25)
The Highlanders tried to flip the script on the Matadors in the fourth set, scoring the first two points, and leading 11-9 midway through the period.
CSUN scored the next five points, however, to take a lead they would never relinquish. UCR cut the advantage to two on three occasions, but were never able to get closer.
Hubbell's final dig of the set was her 20th of the match and moved her into tenth place on the conference career list.
Maietta led four Highlanders in double-figure kills with 16. Graham and Callahan added 12, and Sherman chipped in with 10. Doyle added 45 assists.
CSUN's Owens led all players with 27 kills, and Conati finished the night with 55 digs.
The Highlanders conclude the 2016 season Saturday on the road at Long Beach State. First serve is scheduled for 7 pm PT.
