MERCED, Calif. - Senior Teola Nowak tallied a career-high 15 kills and senior Jalen Carey tied her career-high with 20 digs to help the University of California, Merced women's volleyball team earn a five-set Senior Night win over Simpson University, 3-2 (19-25, 26-24, 25-20, 22-25, 15-10) on Thursday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.

The Bobcats (11-15, 8-11) finish the home campaign with an 8-4 record, their most home wins since 2015. The Bobcats also improved to 5-4 in five-set matches to tie the program record for most five-set wins in a single season.

Nowak's career-high 15 kills came while recording an impressive .343 hitting percentage. The senior got off to a quick start and had five kills in just the opening set. 

Senior Hannah Dillingham was good for nine kills and two blocks, while Valentina Evans smacked five kills and scored match point on her Senior Night with a solo block. Evans had two blocks overall.

Carey added a service ace to go along with her career-high 20 digs. Senior Annamarie Caldero tallied eight digs and three assists.

All five UC Merced seniors were honored in a pregame ceremony before hitting the court and winning a five-set affair.

Junior setters Serena Choi and Bianca Malaluan also played key roles in the victory with 21 and 18 assists, respectively. Malaluan also tied her career-high with three service aces, while Choi smacked six kills and had two aces. The duo each had seven digs.

Semiramis Tanasecu added eight kills without an error on ten attempts for an .800 hitting percentage. Tanasecu is the seventh Bobcat in program history without an error on ten swings, just the fourth to record an .800 hitting percentage or better.

Other individual notables include 12 digs from Destiny Lei Ramilo, six kills and four blocks from Olanasaze Ojo, and two blocks from Tanasecu.

Thursday night's opening set saw six ties in the first 12 rallies and eight ties overall. However, it was Simpson who broke the final tie at 11-11 and remained out in front the rest of the way. The Bobcats were within three points at 22-19 before falling 25-19.

Head coach Ai Prachumsri's team overcame a 6-2 deficit in the second set behind back-to-back Tanasecu points and back-to-back Malaluan aces. An Evans kill shortly after gave the Bobcats their first lead at 9-8. The Bobcats led 20-17 later on, but then had to erase another deficit in crunch time trailing 23-22. Nowak came up clutch for the Bobcats to help her team pull even in the match with a 26-24 set two victory.

The third set was tightly contested until the Bobcats scored five straight points to create separation and grab an 18-14 lead. Ojo capped the run with one of her two solo blocks. The Bobcats also led by four points at 21-17 and 23-19, before ultimately winning the frame 25-20.

UC Merced never led in the fourth set, but never stopped fighting and came back to tie the set at 17-17 after trailing by as many as six points. Though, Simpson scored the next three points and led by at least two the rest of the frame to force the fifth set.

The Bobcats ninth five-set match of the year began with back-to-back Simpson scores. Nowak and Ojo immediately responded with a kill and a block, respectively. Dillingham broke a 7-7 tie with a kill, while Carey followed with a service ace and the Bobcats never looked back. Up 12-10, the Bobcats scored the next three to secure the win behind a kill each from Dillingham and Ojo, and the match-ending solo block from Evans.

UC Merced finished the season series with a split and improved to 10-3 at home all-time against the Red Hawks.

Up next, UC Merced will continue to battle for a postseason spot when they play the Pacific Union College Pioneers in Angwin, Calif., on Friday, November 4, in the 2022 regular season finale. First serve from The Covered Wagon is scheduled for 4:00pm.