FULLERTON, Calif. - UC Riverside began its final road swing of the 2022 season on Friday night with a 3-2 loss to Cal State Fullerton at Titan Gym in Fullerton. 

UCR and the Titans engaged in the second five-set thriller of 2022. It was head coach Nicky Cannon's first trip back to Titan Gym since her time as an assistant coach prior to taking the reins at UC Riverside. 

Set one was a game of runs for both teams, but not until midway through the first set. 

UCR broke out first offensively with a 8-0 run after being down 14-11. Shannon Dunkin, Mylei Vargas-Deason and Isabella Scarlett registered back-to-back-to-back kills before Fullerton called time, but the Titans asked for a breather once more after UC Riverside wouldn't let up. Delaney Tate missed on an attack late in the set, but made up for it with UCR's final three points of the set for the Highlanders' 1-0 lead.

Tate enjoyed her second double double of Big West action on Friday with 13 kills and 15 digs, and has now recorded a double double in all three matches in which multiple Highlanders have recorded such a stat line. Friday was UCR's first such match since September 10 against Idaho State. Isabella Scarlett also recorded a career-high 19 kills in the penultimate match of her college career. 

UC Riverside's offensive spark plug carried into set two - albeit briefly - with a 5-1 run that led to another Fullerton timeout before the Highlanders jumped out to a 17-13 lead. Fullerton ended set two with a run of their own, 7-2, before leveling the match at one set apiece.

The Highlanders made up for offensive shortcomings in set two with a .295 hitting percentage in the third set to take a 2-1 lead after 15 kills with just two hitting errors. Fullerton flipped the script midway through the set by forcing UC Riverside to call for time after a string of offense that tied the set at 15, but UCR finished the set on a 10-4 run after holding the Titans to just .067 hitting. 

Both teams went back and forth near the end of the fourth set with UCR pushing for its first win since September, but the Titans forced a fifth set with UC Riverside for the second time this season after being down 20-16. 

The Highlanders found themselves down quickly in the decisive set before climbing back in to make for another intriguing finish to the meeting. UCR shrank a four-point deficit to one, but not before Cal State Fullerton finished the set off. 

UC Riverside will play its season finale on Saturday, November 26 at Long Beach State with first serve scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.