NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – UC Riverside finished its season-long four-match road trip on Saturday evening in Northridge in emphatic fashion, as three Highlanders hit in double digits in a 3-1 win over CSUN at the Matadome.
A steady attack and wave of pressure was the key to UCR picking up its second Big West victory of the season.
"We were consistent all game," head coach Nicky Cannon said. "We did a great job putting the pressure on CSUN and keeping it on with tough serving and aggressive attacking. We made them live in a place of scramble and played relentless defense. We had to stay focused in the fourth set on the present, working hard for each other and trusting the process."
UC Riverside jumped out to a 1-0 advantage after capturing set one 25-20. Tayler Hifo notched 11 assists in the first frame to exceed 500 for her career, while Mylei Vargas-Deason and Ayanna Kimbrough added five kills apiece. UCR found itself down 7-12, but a kill from Delaney Tate set into motion a 6-0 run that saw the Highlanders control the first set wire to wire from that point on.
Tate recorded her fourth 10-dig contest in Big West action while Hifo ended her night with a whopping 58 assists for a new career high to go along with six digs and three kills.
The Highlanders kept on rolling into set two with a 7-3 lead out of the gate. CSUN was able to creep back, but it was a 5-1 run this time that pushed UCR over the line despite leading wire to wire ahead of the commanding 2-0 lead. UC Riverside registered 19 kills and a .371 hitting percentage in the second frame.
Isabella Scarlett cemented her eighth 10-kill performance of 2022 after two sets with 11 and her second of Big West play. Scarlett finished her evening with a new career high of 18 and is now 10 shy of 500 for her UC Riverside career.
Kimbrough matched her season high with kill number six in the third set as CSUN was able to avoid the sweep with a 25-18 scoreline. The senior finished off her night with a new season high of nine kills in the victory while Vargas-Deason (14) and Anya Green (14) joined Scarlett in double-digit kills. Vargas-Deason racked up 14 kills on 28 swings with no attack errors.
CSUN fought off three match points in set four before Green put down the night's final kill that put UC Riverside back in the win column.
UCR's 69 kills on the night were the most for the Highlanders in Big West competition this year, as was 63 assists, a .333 hitting percentage and four solo blocks. Scarlett's 18 kills were the most by a Highlander in a four-set match in 2022.
UC Riverside returns home to the SRC Arena for four matches in front of the home crowd, beginning on Thursday, October 20 against Long Beach State at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
