UC Riverside
1-1,0-0Big West
Samford
0-2,0-0SoCon
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Riverside | 25 | 25 | 22 | 31 | 3 |
| Samford | 23 | 21 | 25 | 29 | 1 |
Highlander Trio Powers UCR to First Win of 2026
8/30/2026 1:46:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Brewer, D’Eliseo, and Belgutay Lead the Way at Samford
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UC Riverside (1-1, 0-0 Big West) ended its trip to the Crimson Tide Invitational on Sunday with a 3-1 win over Samford (0-2, 0-0 SoCon) at the Pete Hanna Center.
Andrea Brewer set a new career high with 19 kills in the win while Juliette D'Eliseo followed with 14. Zeynep Belgutay enjoyed a career day at the net with a match-high 10 blocks, becoming the first Highlander with double-digit blocks in a match since Bella Scarlett in 2019.
A 4-1 scoring run with kills from Evelyn Hendrix, Brewer, and Sariah Johnson kept UCR close behind Samford after Johnson made her first Highlander start. UC Riverside ultimately erased a six-point set one deficit to take a 1-0 set in the match.
UCR outhit the Bulldogs .312 to .121 in set one after closing the frame on an explosive 9-2 run. Belgutay carried UC Riverside over the line with two aces and a block assist in the Highlanders' final seven points.
UC Riverside forced six errors to break set two open with a 6-0 scoring run, turning an 8-8 tie into a 14-8 advantage. Samford found its footing later in the set, though, to engage UCR in a battle for set two supremacy.
Veterans pushed UCR over the line in a narrow set two victory. Brewer knocked down back-to-back kills for the Highlanders' 20th point of the set amidst a 3-0 run, and Misu Nguyen, last year's team leader from behind the service line, recorded her first of the year on set point to put UCR up 2-0 in the match.
UC Riverside held early leads of 7-6 and 8-7 in set three, but neither side led by more than two through the frame's first 20 points. Another pair of kills from Brewer disrupted a Samford scoring spree that saw the Bulldogs distance themselves before staving off the sweep.
A 6-2 scoring run to kick off set four set the tone for a .328 kill percentage in set four. UCR led nearly wire-to-wire and rejected numerous set points before a solo block from D'Eliseo ended the marathon frame at 31-29.
UC Riverside held Samford under .200 hitting in all four sets while putting up 13 blocks.
The Highlanders return to action on Thursday, September 3, at the San Jose State Invitational with a 6:00 pm first serve against Pacific.
