MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's volleyball team swept Providence Christian College to start the second half of California Pacific Conference play on Thursday night, winning 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-17) inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
With the win, the Bobcats (8-14, 7-4) remain perfect at home and are 5-0 through five home matches for the first time in program history.
Serena Choi led the Bobcats and tied her career-high with 14 kills on a stellar .520 hitting percentage (14/1/25). The senior, who also recorded her highest hitting percentage with a minimum of 25 attempts, added two blocks.
Sera Riley finished with 11 kills on a .429 hitting percentage for her second straight double figure kill effort and ninth 10+ kill outing of the season. Riley rounded out her performance with five digs and a service ace.
Alexa Ultreras had eight kills and eight digs. Semiramis Tanasescu recorded four blocks and was one of three Bobcats with four kills. Jaide Davis and Morgan Wilson also had four kills. Wilson pitched in two blocks, one solo.
Ellie Gordon and Bianca Malaluan quarterbacked the offense with 20 and 18 assists, respectively, while running the offense to a .264 success rate. Both neared a double-double. Malaluan had nine digs, while Gordon finished with eight. Gordon also had three service aces.
Destiny Lei Ramilo finished with 14 digs for her 20th 10+ dig match of the year and a service ace. With her service ace, she moved ahead of Lexus Lagumbay for second place in program history with 92 career service aces. Jazmine Banks contributed seven digs.
The Bobcats sweep was their third in Cal Pac play, first since September 9.
Set one was the most tightly contested of the night. Providence Christian threatened early on top 5-2, but head coach Ai Prachumsri's team countered with a 4-0 run highlighted by an Ultreras ace to jump in front. Tied 10-10 shortly after, the two teams traded points for ten consecutive rallies before the Sea Beggars scored two points in a row to go up 16-15. Following a PCC service error to make it 16-16, Wilson and Choi smacked back-to-back kills and the Bobcats went on a 6-0 run overall to turn the deficit into a 21-16 lead. The Bobcats led by at least two points the rest of the frame, winning it 25-22.
UC Merced used a 6-1 run early in the second set and after PCC recovered from the early surge, the Bobcats used a 5-0 run to go up 15-9. Choi had three kills in the 5-0 run, including two in a row for points 14 & 15. Ultreras got the Bobcats to 20 points with a kill and her team led 20-11 at the time. UC Merced extended the lead to double figures at 24-14 before going up 2-0 in the match with a 25-17 set two win.
Ultreras opened the third frame with a kill, starting a 7-2 run that allowed Bobcats to lead the rest of the way. When the gap closed to 9-7, Gordon delivered back-to-back aces to regain momentum. Shortly after, Riley recorded a service ace to go up 14-8. PCC pulled within a point at 16-15 but the Bobcats made sure to stay in front with Choi delivering a big kill. Up 17-16, UC Merced put the game to bed with a 7-0 run highlighted by three Tanasescu kills. The sophomore also had a block in the explosion, while Ultreras and Riley had a kill each. Davis finished the night with a kill for match point.
UC Merced finished the night with three-set season-high's of 43 assists and six blocks. The Bobcats 42 kills marked the second most in a sweep this year. The .264 hitting percentage was the second best overall.
With the victory, the Bobcats have won 13 consecutive matches against Providence Christian College and have earned seven straight home sweeps vs. the Sea Beggars.
Looking ahead, UC Merced hosts 22nd-ranked University of Saint Katherine on Saturday, October 14 at 1:00pm inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
