PASADENA, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's volleyball team picked up their fourth win in Cal Pac play, knocking off Providence Christian College in four sets (21-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-22) Friday night on the road.
The Bobcats (5-11, 4-1) have now won four of their first five Cal Pac games for the second time in the last three years.
Alexa Ultreras was a Bobcat standout in the victory with 14 kills and 16 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Ultreras, who also recorded two service aces, finished with a season-best .333 hitting percentage.
Serena Choi matched Ultreras with 14 kills and also had double-double with 16 assists. Choi's 14 kills tied her career-high and she got there in part due to six kills in the final frame. For Choi, Friday night marked her fourth double-double of the year. The senior added six digs and a service ace on the night.
Sera Riley was good for eight kills and ten digs, while Semiramis Tanasescu tallied six kills, six digs, and a solo block.
Bianca Malaluan registered her fourth double-double in Cal Pac play with a 22-assist, 12-dig performance.
Destiny Lei Ramilo pitched in a Cal Pac season-high 18 digs. With her outing, Lei Ramilo passed Madison Mayoralgo for fifth in program history with 771 career digs. Lei Ramilo also had five assists.
Other individual notables include eight digs from Jazmine Banks, four kills from Jaide Davis, and a solo block each from Morgan Wilson and Kylah Guzman.
The Bobcats three total solo blocks tied a season-high.
UC Merced dropped the first set before winning three sets in a row. Friday night marked the Bobcats first win when trailing 1-0 in a match since November 3, 2022. The Bobcats hit .075 in the first frame but bounced back to operate at .225 success rate or better the rest of the way.
In the second set, UC Merced used a pair of 4-0 runs to gain momentum with the latter putting head coach Ai Prachumsri's team up 18-10. After that, the Bobcats and Sea Beggars traded sideouts leading to a 25-18 set two win for UC Merced. The Bobcats recorded a match-best .275 hitting percentage in the period.
The third set saw the Bobcats explode for a 12-2 run highlighted by a pair of Riley kills. The peak of the run had the Bobcats up 16-9. A little later leading 19-15, Riley killed another ball which sparked a set-ending 6-0 run. Riley followed her kill with a service ace and then Ultreras followed with a couple kills. The Bobcats 25-15 set three win was the Bobcats fifth 10+ point set victory already in Cal Pac play.
UC Merced was forced to overcome a 17-12 deficit in the fourth set. Ultreras started the Bobcats comeback with a kill that then put her behind the service line. She immediately delivered two aces and then Choi smacked a kill to bring the Bobcats within a point. Two Providence errors followed to put the Bobcats in front. Then tied 18-18, Wilson's solo block gave the Bobcats the lead for good, ultimately leading to the 25-22 set four win and the 3-1 match final.
With the victory, the Bobcats improved to 13-1 all-time against Providence Christian College with 12 consecutive wins.
Looking ahead, the Bobcats will travel to Pacific Union College on Thursday, September 21. First serve from Angwin, Calif., is scheduled for 3:00pm.
