Women’s Volleyball Drops Season Opener at Idaho Volleyball Classic

Friday, August 25

Moscow, Idaho

6:00 p.m.

UC Riverside

0-1,0-0Big West

North Dakota State

1-0,0-0Summit League

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
UC Riverside	19	25	23	21	1
North Dakota St.	25	21	25	25	3

Photo by: Idaho Athletics

Women’s Volleyball Drops Season Opener at Idaho Volleyball Classic

8/25/2023 8:22:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

MOSCOW, Idaho - UC Riverside opened the 2023 season and year two of the Nicky Cannon era on Friday night at the Idaho Volleyball Classic, falling 3-1 to North Dakota State inside Memorial Gym.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Makena Tong opened the evening with a set-high 11 assists in the opening frame - already two shy of a career high - to go along with an ace and a dig. Anya Green and Hunter Thomas each tallied four kills in set one.
UCR found its legs in set two with a 9-5 lead out of the brief intermission after a kill from Tong led North Dakota State to call for time. The Highlanders held a nearly wire-to-wire lead in set two until NDSU pulled ahead, 11-10.
Sophia Ewalefo put the finishing kill on set two as UCR tied the match with a .333 hitting clip in the second frame. UCR hit .286 in set three, but dropped a narrow 25-23 decision to fall behind 2-1.
Ewalefo led the attack once more with seven kills in set four.

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Tylee Fuller, Sydnee Rowe, Brooklyn Wiedenheft and Sophia Ewalefo all were named to the starting lineup in their UCR debuts. Ewalefo finished the night with a match-high 22 kills.
Makena Tong put up a career-high 49 assists in the season opener, reaching the mark in set two on a kill from Anya Green.
UCR's second-set win was a clinic on both sides of the net, as the Highlanders' .333 hitting clip countered North Dakota State's .069.

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