NEW ORLEANS, La. - UC Riverside went 1-1 with a sweep of New Orleans and a five-set defeat to Tulane on Thursday's day one of the Pelican Invitational.  

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• UCR successfully kicked off its time in New Orleans with a set one win over the host Privateers behind five kills from Carissa Wiles and a .353 hitting percentage.  
• The Highlanders' success then came in bunches throughout set two - namely a pair of key scoring spurts – as UC Riverside did its damage on two long stretches to take a 2-0 commanding lead in Thursday's opener.  
• UCR's attack kept chugging along in set three, hitting .250 as a unit to close out their third non-conference sweep since 2019.  
• Kicking off the nightcap, the Highlanders couldn't immediately carry the offense over and dropped set one against Tulane despite Wiles putting up five kills in a second consecutive first set. The senior did so on seven swings for a .714 first set hitting clip. 
• Offense was scarce for both sides in set two before UCR's 5-0 scoring run that brought about a 13-10 lead. Another scoring spree for UC Riverside pushed them over a brief hump after the Highlander defense fell into a tough position late in set two. Makena Tong was on the service line for the second and third points of a 3-0 run that gave UCR the 25-20 win to tie the match at one.  
• UCR and Tulane again split the next two sets with Brianna Bowyer putting down her fifth kill of the night to force a decisive fifth frame and the Highlanders' second five-set match of the year. UC Riverside and the Green Wave played to 13 ties in a back-and-forth set four, but the Highlanders always found themselves one step ahead before seeing the set through on a 6-2 run.  
• UCR got out to a 4-1 lead in set five and was neck and neck with the Green Wave from then on out. 

NOTABLES 

• Brianna Bowyer's six aces against New Orleans were two shy of tying a program single-match record. As a team, UCR was just one ace shy of tying a team single-match record in the program's Division I era.  
• New Orleans transfer Sophia Ewalefo put up eight kills in her return to the Crescent City, doing half of her offensive damage in set one to help get UCR off to a roaring start.  
• UCR hit a blistering .400 in a ferocious set four win that pushed the match to its limit as Wiles hit 1.000 in the frame with five kills en route to 13 for the nightcap.  

UP NEXT 

• UC Riverside continues the Pelican Invitational on Friday with a 2:00 p.m. PT first serve against Louisiana Tech.