RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Highlanders competed deep into every set ,including a marathon, 56-point second stanza, before CSUN defeated UC Riverside Saturday night at SRC Arena, 23-25, 27-29, 20-25.
 
Middle blocker Anya Green stood out with 11.5 points on 10 kills and 5 block assists, swinging at a .625 success rate on 16 attempts, and adding 4 digs. Llibero Mia Christensen served 2 aces while notching 16 digs, but the Highlanders could not prevent the Matadors from winning their second straight Big West contest. The Highlanders continued to search for their first conference win as two student-athletes, Mylei Vargas-Deason and Julia Bodor, both left court with injuries during the second set. Their departure added extra pressure on a UCR lineup already dealing with the absence of hard-hitting Ayanna Kimbrough and electric freshman Madison Lounds.
 
Saturday's loss is the Highlanders' third straight to CSUN (4-14, 3-5 Big West) and their ninth straight loss overall, their sixth defeat in a row at home and 13th consecutive loss for UCR (4-14, 0-8 Big West) in conference play. But the Highlanders continue to respond to every challenge, and the next one comes on the road Friday, Oct. 22, at Long Beach State, where play gets underway at 7 p.m. After that, the team heads to Cal State Fullerton to take on Titans at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23.
 
Two more road matches follow for the Highlanders – at UC Davis on Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m.: and to Hawai'i on Saturday, Oct. 30, where play begins at 10 p.m. PST – before UCR returns home to SRC Arena on Thursday, Nov. 4, to host UC Irvine at 7 p.m.