MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's volleyball team swept La Sierra University 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-18) in the 2023 California Pacific Conference opener and home opener on Thursday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.

The Bobcats (2-10, 1-0) have now won three consecutive Cal Pac openers.

Serena Choi led the Bobcats with an all-around performance of 16 assists, nine kills on a .400 hitting percentage, five digs, and a block.

Sera Riley and Morgan Wilson each had eight kills. Wilson, who also had two blocks, recorded her eight kills while operating at a .583 success rate.

Bianca Malaluan had 16 assists and 12 digs, while Destiny Lei Ramilo was good for 15 digs.

Alexa Ultreras finished with six kills and 12 digs. Semiramis Tanasescu pitched in six kills and a solo block in just her second game back from injury. She hit .500 offensively.

Other individual notables include seven digs from Haley Branley, four kills from Kennedi Baker and a service ace each from Riley, Ultreras, and Jazmine Banks.

UC Merced finished the night with a season best .221 hitting percentage in addition to three-set season-high's of 41 kills, 38 assists, and 67 digs.

The Bobcats never trailed in the opening set and Riley got the squad going with a kill followed by an ace.  Shortly after with the Bobcats ahead 7-6, head coach Ai Prachumsri's team scored six points in a row and went on a 10-1 run to take a 17-7 lead. Wilson highlighted the run with two kills and two blocks. UC Merced's biggest lead of the set was 24-11 before winning the frame 25-13. Wilson scored set point with another kill. UC Merced attacked at a .414 clip and held La Sierra to .032 in the frame.

UC Merced used another run to create separation in the second set, this time scoring five straight points with the help of Riley to take a 14-7 lead. UC Merced extended the lead to eight points at 21-13, however La Sierra came back to pull within a point at 24-23 before Baker beat the Golden Eagle defense to put an end to the threat.

Now up 2-0 in the match, the Bobcats were playing for their first sweep of the year. The Bobcats had no trouble completing the sweep as they led wire-to-wire in the third set. Choi started the set with a kill and Tanasescu followed with a solo block to keep momentum going. A couple sideouts later, a 4-0 run had the Bobcats up 7-2 and the lead was extended to seven points shortly after at 15-8. The Bobcats led by as many as eight points in the final set, 22-14 following back-to-back kills from Wilson and Riley.

UC Merced's home sweep was their first since October 21, 2022. The Bobcats sweep was their first ever over La Sierra in the 25-match history.

Looking ahead, the Bobcats host Westcliff University on Friday, September 8 at 6:00pm inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.