MERCED, Calif. - Teola Nowak and Olivia Harden each tallied double figure kills and the Bobcats delivered 12 service aces in a sweep over Simpson University Monday night, 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-13) inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.

The sweep marked the second straight for the Bobcats (2-2), who are .500 for the first time this season and have now won 13 straight against Simpson dating back to the 2013 season.

Nowak played a huge role in the win, recording a career-high 14 kills on a .565 hitting percentage. Nowak also tallied three blocks. With those numbers, Nowak became UC Merced's first non-middle blocker since Emily Romo on October 28, 2017 to hit over .500 with double figure kills and three blocks. Nowak's 14 kills is also the fourth most of any Cal Pac player in a conference match this year. 

Harden tallied double figures for the second straight match and third time in four games, finishing with eleven on a .281 hitting percentage. The Bobcats returning outside also tied her season-high with seven digs and a block. The Monday night sweep was Harden's first career-match with double figure kills and 5+ digs.

Lexus Lagumbay and Olanasaze Ojo provided wealth both offensively and defensively. Lagumbay turned in three-set career-high's of 19 digs and seven kills, while Ojo had five kills without an error and a career-high four blocks. One of Ojo's blocks were solo, her team-leading third match of the year with a solo block.

Overall, the Bobcats hit a season-high .333, totaling 42 kills on 99 attempts and committed just nine errors. Serena Choi and Edwena Wong took turns in rotation as the setter and were good for 24 and eight assists, respectively. Choi's 24 assists marked a career-high, while she tied her career-high with two service aces.

Lacey Gallagher and freshman Destiny Lei Ramilo each had a career-high three service aces. Madison Mayoralgo had two aces to go along with ten digs.

One of Mayoralgo's two service aces broke an 11-11 tie in the first set, one of nine ties early on in the contest. The Bobcats libero would go on a 5-0 service run to put the Bobcats up 16-11. The five-point advantage ended up being the biggest in the set.

Although the Bobcats remained in front the rest of the way, the advantage shrunk to a point at 16-15. The first set was also a one-point affair at 19-18. Looking to pull away, Lei Ramilo notched a service ace to double the advantage and a Nowak kill extended the Bobcats lead to 21-18. A couple plays later, up 23-21, Choi set Harden for back-to-back kills and the Bobcats went up 1-0 in the match with a 25-21 first set win.

The second set was also close at the end, however that was not the story in the beginning. The Bobcats dominated the early stages of the frame behind freshman star power. An Ojo solo block had the Bobcats up 3-0, while a Choi ace had the Bobcats up 9-2 soon after. The lead grew to double figures, 13-3, with Gallagher behind the service line. Nowak was good for two kills during Gallgher's serving stretch. Although the Bobcats lead shrunk, it never vanished and head coach Ai Prachumsri's team led by at least four points the rest of the set. Harden, Lagumbay and Nowak combined for seven of the Bobcats final 12 points via the kill. It was Choi who delivered set point with her first career kill. The set score was 25-20.

Set three was all UC Merced. A Nowak kill broke a 2-2 tie and the Bobcats led the rest of the way, including by five as early as the 8-3 mark after back-to-back Gallagher service aces. The Bobcats lead doubled to 15-5 with Lei Ramilo behind the service line. Lei Ramilo had two aces during her service run, while Lagumbay aided the efforts with two kills. The Bobcats led by eleven at 17-6 and again couple more times towards the end of the set. Up 24-13, Valentina Evans finished off the match with an overkill to give the Bobcats their first winning streak of the season.

Evans finished with three kills and two blocks. The sophomore has multiple blocks in three of the Bobcats first four matches. Other notables include ten digs from Mayoralgo and seven digs from Lei Ramilo.

Looking ahead, the Bobcats host Pacific Union College on Sunday, March 7 at 1:00pm.