FULLERTON, Calif. - UC Riverside picked up Big West win number one on Saturday evening with a 3-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton at Titan Gym.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UC Riverside started hot out of the gate, hitting .271 in a 25-15 set one win to the Titans' .091.
- Ana Beatriz Nunes and Sophia Ewalefo were the Highlanders' early offensive catalysts in the sweep. Nunes had five kills in set one on nine swings to lead UCR and ended with nine kills for the match, while Ewalefo reached 10 of her 14 kills in set two. The New Orleans transfer recorded her fourth 10-kill outing in her last five.
- Set two was more evenly-matched with Fullerton coming within a point before forcing a UCR timeout with a 3-0 scoring run.
- UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton traded points from 18-18 on, including Delaney Tate fighting off a set point with her fifth kill of the evening after a Highlander timeout. Jessica Dean served up an ace to set up set point before an attack error gave the Highlanders a 2-0 set advantage.
- UCR was briefly caught off guard to start set three against an urgent Titan side, but caught up to trail just 15-17 in the middle of the set. Nunes tied things up at 18 with a kill from the right side.
- Sydnee Rowe brought on set point with a kill before Delaney Tate finally tied a bow on UCR's first Big West win with a cross-court kill from the left antenna.
HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS
- UC Riverside snapped a six-match losing streak to the Titans dating back to 2018, also the program's last three-set win in conference play.
- UCR recorded its second-highest hitting percentage of the season at .270. The Highlanders also tallied a season-high 10 block assists while holding Fullerton to just a .161 hitting clip.
- Beatriz Silva was one of three Highlanders with at least 10 digs in the win, augmenting her 32 assists with 10 digs to go along with an ace and a block assist.
- Tate was two kills and a dig shy of her second straight double double at Titan Gym, racking up eight kills and nine digs in Saturday's win.
FROM COACH CANNON
"It was such a fun win. I told the team they owed me one after losing in five twice last year. Tonight's win proved to ourselves the growth and fight we have for each other. I told them before we played that our record doesn't reflect who we are, but where we are. It means a lot to get the sweep in their house."
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