UC Riverside
4-8,0-1Big West
Utah Valley
3-10,1-0Big West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Riverside | 25 | 16 | 20 | 0 |
| Utah Valley | 27 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Women’s Volleyball Drops Big West Opener at Utah Valley
9/24/2026 6:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Tanksley leads UCR at the net with 10 kills
OREM, Utah - UC Riverside (4-8, 0-1 Big West) began Big West play on Thursday night at Lockhart Arena with a 3-0 defeat (25-27, 16-25, 20-25) to conference newcomer Utah Valley (3-10, 1-0 Big West).
Malia Tanksley recorded a season-high 10 kills on Thursday.
Tanksley put her stamp on three of the Highlanders' first five points while her blocking partner on the 2-0 lead, Zeynep Belgutay, played a role in half of the visitors' first six points. Tanksley, who led UCR with a season-high four blocks in the non-conference finale sweep of Southern Utah, made her fourth start and first since September 9.
UC Riverside entered the first media break up 15-13 and rattled off three straight points out of the timeout with two UVU attacking errors and a block assist from Belgutay and Sariah Johnson.
Utah Valley found its footing late in the set, but UCR fought off two set points to take a 25-24 lead on Andrea Brewer's second kill. UVU eventually put the first set to bed.
Madison Pulsipher pulled UCR out of its slow set two start with her second kill, and a Wolverine attack error put a second point on the board for the Highlanders. UC Riverside found bits and pieces of offense along the way and played comeback kids, minimizing the deficit at five points with late contributions from Sariah Johnson.
UCR sided out for the first point of set three and pulled to within a point on a UVU service blunder. Both sides alternated points with UC Riverside closing in at 10-15 after video review gave Pulsipher her fourth kill.
UC Riverside pulled to within three on a 5-2 run that included kills from three different players and a Utah Valley attacking error, then got the deficit down to two at 19-21.
UCR returns to Big West play on Saturday, September 26, to visit another conference newcomer in Sacramento State. First serve is scheduled for 3:00 pm on ESPN+.
