RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside dominated both sides of the net on Saturday in a wire-to-wire 3-0 sweep of Cal State Fullerton at the SRC Arena. 

The afternoon's first two points bode well for a tight first set with lengthy rallies taking place on each side. Neither team gained more than a three point lead up to the media break, and UCR led 15-12 at the first stoppage while limiting Fullerton to .089 hitting. 

The Highlanders continued dictating the match at 19-13 and forced a Fullerton timeout at that point. UCR finished strong with a 25-15 set one victory behind a stifling defensive effort that held the Titans to .000 hitting. 

UCR widened its margin in set two with a 6-0 run that put the home side up 15-8 at the media stoppage. Sophia Ewalefo and Izzy Jeffery put down back-to-back kills that forced another breather from Fullerton. The Highlanders cruised through to a two sets to none lead after another strong defensive performance. 

Set three mirrored set one to start in similar seesaw fashion. UCR quickly turned things in its favor with a five-point advantage after various Titan errors, but Fullerton clapped back and cut the deficit to two. Both teams found scoring runs after another Fullerton timeout until the Highlanders closed out the sweep.  

McKynzee Beddes and Nikki Hughes made their first Highlander starts after putting in bright performances Thursday vs. UC Irvine. Beddes and Hughes combined for 11 kills while Layla Hooks served up a career-high four aces. 

UC Riverside continues the home stand on Thursday, October 9 to host Long Beach State at the SRC Arena. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 pm on ESPN+. Tickets are available now at GoHighlanders.com/tickets.