The UCI Women’s Volleyball team (17-10, 10-7) defeated the CSU Fullerton Titans (12-13, 6-11) at the Titan Gym in Fullerton on Friday, Nov. 18. The Anteaters were too much to handle as they swept the CSUF Titans and sealed the match in three sets.
Set 1 started off well for the Anteaters as they got the jump early on the Titans with kills by freshman outside hitter Kendra MacDonald and junior outside hitter Joy Umeh. An ace by freshman libero Campbell Jensen and blocks by MacDonald and junior middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu gave the Anteaters a 4-1 lead.
It didn’t take long for the Anteaters to show their offensive skills, scoring three back-to-back points with kills from Umeh and redshirt junior middle blocker Kiani Stanton to give them a 12-7 lead, causing a CSUF timeout.
After the timeout, the ‘Eaters didn’t hesitate to score five straight points on kills from MacDonald and Umeh. A hitting error from Titans sophomore outside hitter Lyla Traylor made the score 17-7 in favor of the Anteaters, forcing Fullerton to call their final allotted timeout of the set.
Not long after, UCI scored back-to-back points with kills from sophomore opposite Ellen Veargason and Ofoegbu, a block by MacDonald and an ace by sophomore setter Indy DeSmet, pushing the lead to 23-11. The final play of the set was an error from the Titans as they failed to get anyone in position, letting the ball drop on their side of the court and giving the set to UCI at 25-12.
As the second set began, the ‘Eaters comfortably got into a rhythm after dominating the first set. However, the Titans were equally as determined to make a statement. A few UCI mistakes, such as not attacking correctly or getting penalized for a net violation, led to an early CSUF advantage.
The Anteaters scored one point, but the Titans countered with four more through their kills and a block. One of these kills was challenged by UCI head coach Ashlie Hain, claiming that the attack from Fullerton went outside the antenna. The call, however, went in favor of the Titans and kept their five-point lead.
The ‘Eaters responded nicely to their early deficit with kills from Umeh, Ofoegbu and Veargason. A block by Ofoegbu and MacDonald reduced the Titan’s lead to 8-7. Fullerton continued to maintain control of the lead momentarily, but the Anteaters were hot on their tail.
After a back-and-forth, the ‘Eaters cut the lead to 18-17, forcing a CSUF timeout.
The timeout gave the Anteaters the break they needed as they caught up and tied up the game at 19 points, causing Fullerton head coach Nicole Polster to call their last timeout of the set as a desperate plea to get her team on track. In spite of that, the timeouts seemed to help the ‘Eaters more than the Titans.
Coming out of the timeout, kills from Umeh and sophomore outside hitter Marianna Bertolone, along with a block by Stanton gave UCI a 24-20 lead. The ‘Eaters then allowed two Fullerton kills before ending the set with a kill from Umeh.
At the beginning of Set 3, neither team was able to take a definitive lead, as the score switched every other point. UCI only managed a breakthrough after scoring four back-to-back points with a kill by Bertolone, an ace by junior setter Kelly Negron and two Fullerton mistakes. The resulting 9-5 UCI lead forced a CSUF timeout.
The timeout gave the Titans the opportunity to take the lead as their kills, aces, blocks and Irvine mistakes gave them a 13-11 advantage. A UCI timeout by Coach Hain helped UCI cease the CSUF momentum and regroup.
Fullerton’s lead continued despite this. Even so, the ‘Eaters were close behind and almost tied up the game until Fullerton head coach Polster used her last timeout at 18-17, with the Titans barely leading. As the back and forth continued, a rally ensued that ended with a UCI attack error by MacDonald.
However, the Anteaters pulled it together with back-to-back kills from Umeh and MacDonald to gain a 22-20 advantage. MacDonald then capitalized on a CSUF attack error with a kill, giving UCI the win, 25-22.
With the win, UCI improved to 10-7 in the Big West Conference and 17-10 overall.
The Anteaters played Long Beach State on Nov. 19 resulting in a 3-0 sweep followed by another victory on Nov. 25 against Cal Poly, 3-1.
Seattle Barron is a Sports Intern for the fall 2022 quarter. She can be reached at skbarron@uci.edu
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