RIVERSIDE, Calif.- On a night where the Highlanders found themselves down 2-0, the UC Riverside Women's Volleyball Team never quit, battling all the way back to force a 5th and final set on the road at Cal Baptist. Each team earned two straight sets of 25-21 and 25-18 before the Lancers eventually took the decider 15-13 to edge out UCR 3-2.

"We're seeing so much progress from this young team in terms of understanding what it takes to win," Head Coach Michelle Patton-Coleman. "They have been focusing in on it, we have been preaching it at practice, and we are seeing improvement."

The Highlanders' underclassmen led the attack all night gathering a combined 48 kills, 31 of which came from freshmen.

"Putting three freshman out on our pins and them having to learn on the fly has helped them understand what the job is at this level," Patton-Coleman said. "It's relentless and good or bad you have to keep pushing forward and be up for the task."

The Highlanders got out to a quick start Tuesday night taking a 10-8 lead, but the Lancers would score three straight to find their first lead at 11-10. The two teams would trade off and meet at 17-17 where CBU eventually took a 1-0 in the match winning the 1st set 25-21.

The 2nd set was a similar story as the Highlanders grabbed the first couple points but would then fall behind and trade off points with the Lancers till the match was iced at 14-14. From there CBU would take control with a 5-1 run that helped lift the host team to a 25-18 2nd set and put the Highlanders in a must-win situation.

UC Riverside would rise to the occasion in the 3rd as despite a slow start the Highlanders would put together several runs to take a 10-7 lead and force a CBU timeout. Another run of 5-2 would put UCR up big and the team never looked back taking the set 25-18 and cutting the Lancer lead in half.

The 4th set was all Highlanders as UCR jumped out to a 12-8 lead that forced a Lancer time out, and from there would climb to 17-12. CBU would try to keep it close, but the Highlander attack was too much to handle with UCR flipping the momentum and putting the pressure back on Cal Baptist taking the set 25-21 to force a decider.

UCR and CBU battled in the deciding set with both teams locking at 13-13, but the Lancers eventually edged out the Highlanders 15-13 to take the first DI meeting between these two Riverside schools.

Sophomore Yuliya Ushakova led the kill battle for the Highlanders with a season-high 17 and freshman Christina Escamilla followed just behind her with a career-high 16. Freshman Ashlyn Blotzer added a career-highs of her own with 10 kills off match best .625 attack percentage and three blocks.

Senior Chelsea Doyle displayed her leadership as well topping the Highlanders with 48 assists and 22 digs.

The Highlanders will now return home to continue Big West play this Saturday as the Highlanders host Cal State Fullerton.