RIVERSIDE—The UC Riverside women's volleyball team (5-15, 1-8 Big West) will head to Long Beach State and CSUN this weekend with the goal to claim their second and third conference wins of the season. The Highlanders have struggled mightily over the last weeks, as they currently take an eight-game losing streak into the weekend. Nonetheless, the Highlanders look to find some consistency this weekend as the second half of conference play continues.
The Highlanders by the Numbers
As a team UC Riverside is 4th in the conference in Digs, and 5th in Opponent Hitting Percentage. The Highlander offense continues to be led by senior Morgan Kline and sophomore Dejah Dade who rank 7th and 10th in assists in the conference. Sophomore Renata Bath and freshman Amarachi Osuji have excelled in their conference matches, as Bath is 8th in the conference in Digs against conference opponents, and Osuji is 9th for kills.
Scouting the Beach
The Beach have already logged their first of three games this week, when they faced UCSB Tuesday night and returned home with a loss (1-3). Nonetheless, LBSU (7-14, 4-5 Big West) currently sits in 4th place in the Big West conference with 6 games yet to play.
Senior Hailey Harward has continued to lead the Beach on the defensive end, as she ranks 2nd in the conference in digs. Yizhi Xue has also been impressive against conference opponents, in fact her performances have her ranked 2nd in hitting percentage, and 3rd in blocks.
The Series: UC Riverside vs LBSU
The first meeting between these two teams, saw the Highlanders drop the match 0-3 at home. With this being the last meeting between these two teams, the Highlanders will look to attack early and often against the Beach and find some momentum away from home. The match will be on Friday November 1st, at 7p.m at Long Beach State.
Scouting the Matadors
Cal State Northridge (8-13, 3-6 Big West) comes into the weekend in 6th place in the conference. The Matadors also opened up play early this weekend as they matched up against Cal Poly Tuesday night, resulting in a loss (0-3). As a team the Matadors sit in the middle of the pile in each statistical category, as they rank 4th in Kills, and Assists, and 5th in Digs, Blocks and Hitting Percentage.
On the offensive end, Senior Kamalu Makekau-Whittaker is 4th in the conference in assists, and Sophomore Seyvion Waggoner is 5th in the conference in Kills. Defensively, junior Makayla Bradford has remained extremely consistent, and is 4th in the conference in Digs.
The Series: UC Riverside vs CSUN
The Matadors' first conference win came against UC Riverside nearly three weeks ago, and this weekend the Highlanders look to return the favor. The match will be on Saturday November 2nd, at 7 p.m. at Cal State Northridge.
