MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's volleyball team concluded the regular season with a sweep over Pacific Union College (Nov. 8) and a four-set win over Simpson (Nov. 9), extending its program-best winning streak to nine straight matches heading into the California Pacific Conference Tournament.
The Bobcats (18-7, 14-1) overall win total and conference win total are program best tallies. UC Merced earned its first ever regular season championship last weekend.
Alexa Ultreras and Sera Riley led the Bobcats over the final two matches, both averaging at least 4.0 kills and 2.75 digs per set. Ultreras maintained an impressive .560 hitting percentage.
Kyra Miller averaged just over six assists per set and a kill per set.
Match One | UC Merced 3-0 (25-14, 25-8, 25-16) over PUC
Head coach Ai Prachumsri's put together one of their most dominant performances of the season in the 2024 home finale hitting .353 while limiting PUC to just 16 total kills on a .027 hitting percentage. The Bobcats also recorded a three-set season-high 13 service aces.
Alexa Ultreras highlighted the win with 13 kills on just 16 swings while operating at a career-best .750 success rate. Her .750 hitting percentage is tied for the seventh best in program history with a minimum of ten swings. Of note, she only needed two sets to reach those numbers. She also shared team-high with seven digs and delivered a service ace.
Sera Riley and Morgan Wilson added seven kills each to go along with six digs and one solo block, respectively. Both hit .333 or better. Tangi Netane and Semiramis Tanasescu had four kills and a block apiece. Netane played just the third set.
Kyra Miller and Ellie Gordon helped the Bobcats achieve one of their highest hitting percentages of the season dishing out 14 and 12 assists, respectively. Miller also had three kills, while Gordon had a season-high seven digs.
Jazmine Banks had a career-day with seven service aces, becoming one of just seven players in UC Merced history to reach that mark and one of just three to do so in a conference match. The sophomore added five assists. Yahaira Vazquez poured on two service aces in the final frame.
The first set was tightly contested early on with nine ties and six lead changes within the first 22 points, resulting in an 11-11 tie. The Bobcats broke the tie with Riley's second kill of the day and the home team never looked back, scoring six straight points and embarking on an 14-3 set-ending run overall. Destiny Lei Ramilo and Banks each had a service run of at least four points in the run. Wilson had two kills and a solo block as the Bobcats won the set 25-14.
Banks took control of the second set after going back to serve following an Ultreras kill. She went on a 14-0 service run culminating in a 19-4 UC Merced lead. She delivered five aces in the explosion, including back-to-back aces on two separate occasions. PUC called both of its timeouts to try and slow down Banks, who had an answer out of both timeouts. When the service run ended, the two teams traded sideouts with the Bobcats ultimately scoring set point with a Miller service ace, winning the frame 25-8.
UC Merced trailed 11-8 in the third set before a 6-0 run garnered the Bobcats the final momentum needed to earn the sweep. This run featured Vazquez behind the service line and she had back-to-back aces to put her team up 12-11. Tanasescu and Riley followed with a kill. A little later, another Riley kill had her team up 19-14. Then leading 19-16, a PUC service error put Lei Ramilo behind the service line and she put the finishing touches on the day with a 5-0 service run. Netane was the standout down the stretch with two kills and a block over the last five rallies, including putting down a kill for match point.
Match Two - UC Merced 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 25-20) over Simpson
The Bobcats wrapped up the regular season with a four-set win over Simpson on the road, sweeping the season series with the conference runner-up Red Hawks.
Riley had ten kills and seven digs in just two sets, while Tanasescu turned in an efficient night with eight kills hitting .400 and registering another solo block.
Miller finished with 28 assists, four kills, and four digs.
Lei Ramilo was key in the back row with eight digs and four service aces. Netane held match-high with a career-high three blocks, while Wilson and Ayana Ruffin had two blocks each. Both of Ruffin's blocks were solo. The freshman recorded both her first career kill and first career block in the victory.
Other notables include nine assists from Ellie Gordon, a season-high six kills and a solo block from Kylah Guzman, five kills without an error from Kennedi Baker, and a career-high seven digs from Vazquez.
Set one was back and forth throughout with nine ties and six lead changes, and no lead bigger than three points until the very end. Both teams held a three-point lead with UC Merced grabbing it first at 10-7 and then Simpson later on at 18-15. Simpson was also the first to 20 points as they led UC Merced 20-18. The Bobcats responded to the deficit with a 6-0 run to set up set point with a 24-20 lead. Riley and Miller started the run with back-to-back kills followed by back-to-back Lei Ramilo aces. Simpson staved off three set points and then after a UC Merced timeout, Riley secured set point with a kill to put the Bobcats up 1-0 in the match.
Baker helped lead the Bobcats to a 7-3 lead in the second set and Prachumsri's squad extended the lead to double figures as early as the 16-6 mark with the help of an Ultreras service run that included two aces. Simpson made up some ground cutting the Bobcats lead down to four points at 19-15, and then the two teams battled the rest of the way with no team scoring more than two points in a row. The Bobcats got to 24 points with a 24-19 lead and then took a 2-0 match lead after a Simpson setting error, winning the frame 25-21.
The Bobcats grabbed an early 7-3 lead in the third set but the Red Hawks got hot midway through the period and used a 5-0 run to take a 17-13 lead. UC Merced countered with a 5-0 run of their own to retake the lead highlighted by a Tanasescu kill. The run didn't translate to getting to 20 points first as Simpson won the next four rallies with two kills and two aces to go up 21-18. A little later, a Vazquez ace pulled the Bobcats back even 22-22, but the Red Hawks ended up winning the frame 25-22 with back-to-back-to-back points to avoid the sweep on their senior night.
Guzman scored the Bobcats first two points of the fourth set with kills and then Netane registered some big points as the Bobcats built an 11-3 lead. UC Merced held a comfortable lead for the majority of the frame, including by as many as 13 points following a 6-0 run with Kaitlyn Anderson serving. Ruffin had a solo block in the run for the Bobcats 22nd point. Though, Simpson got rolling and scored seven straight points at the front end of an 11-2 run overall to come within four points at 24-20. Ruffin ultimately put an end to the night with a kill for match point, as the Bobcats won the fourth set 25-20.
Cal Pac Notes
- Riley finishes Cal Pac play leading the league with 3.98 kills per set on a .329 hitting percentage. She also leads all non-liberos with 3.91 digs per set.
- Miller leads the league with 7.12 assists per set and leads all setters with 0.33 blocks per set.
- Ultreras is ranked first with 0.54 service aces per set and fourth with 3.21 kills per set.
- Wilson finished conference play ranked second with 0.91 blocks per set.
- Tanasescu ranks second among all players with at least 100 attempts with a .343 hitting percentage.
Career Notes
- Riley passed Jade Fachin for sixth in program history with 612 career kills.
- Serena Choi passed Lexus Lagumbay for third in program history with 92 career service aces.
- Tanasescu moved into a tie with Dominique Andrews for third in program history with 178 career blocks.
Up next, top-seeded UC Merced will play fourth-seeded Providence Christian College on Friday, November 15 in the California Pacific Conference Tournament Championship Semifinals. First serve is scheduled for 11:00am inside Alumni Pavilion on the campus of La Sierra in Riverside, Calif.,
