MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's volleyball team fell 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-12) to Cal State San Bernardino in the CCAA opener on Thursday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium. Thursday night marked UC Merced's (1-9, 0-1) first ever CCAA match and the game was tabbed the FloCollege/CCAA Game of the Week
Setter Kyra Miller surpassed 1,000 career assists on the night, becoming the seventh player in program history to accomplish the feat. She filled the stat sheet with 16 assists, nine digs, six kills, two service aces, and two blocks despite the loss.
Sera Riley tallied her second double-double of the season with a season-high 13 kills and eleven digs.
Kylah Guzman had a career-high ten kills to go along with three digs.
Jazmine Banks anchored the Bobcats defense with a career-high and UC Merced 2025 team-high 27 digs. She also tied her career-high with five assists.
Ellie Gordon pitched in 12 assists and season-high eight digs.
Other notables include two service aces from Kaitlyn Anderson, four kills and a block from Semiramis Tanasescu, and five kills from Yahaira Vazquez.
The Bobcats played well in the first set and used a 5-0 run to create early separation and build a 13-7 lead highlighted by a pair of kills from Guzman and Riley. CSUSB closed the gap to 18-17 but the Bobcats responded and scored three straight capped by a Guzman kill to inch closer to set point. Shortly after, Riley delivered set point with her fifth kill of the frame.
Set two was a game of runs and UC Merced threw the first punch with an early 6-0 run that included back-to-back Miller aces. CSUSB countered with a longer run, a 14-5 surge, that had them ahead 15-11 at the midway point. The Coyotes remained ahead by four points at the 17-13 mark. A Riley kill sparked a 5-0 UC Merced run that culminated in an 18-17 lead. UC Merced's last lead was 21-20 after a block from Tanasescu and Guzman. The Coyotes defense was locked in in clutch time and won CSUSB the set with a set-ending 5-1 run that featured three blocks.
CSUSB controlled set three from start to finish. The Coyotes led 7-1 and extended the lead to nine points by the 14-5 mark, scoring nine of their first 14 points via the kill. UC Merced worked hard to keep the score within single digits, pulling within six, but ultimately couldn't keep up and trailed by ten points at 23-13 later on.
The Bobcats couldn't respond in the fourth set and Cal State San Bernardino's Jordan Cherniss turned in a 9-0 service run early on to give her team a comfortable lead up 13-1. CSUSB continued to run away with the match, eventually winning 25-12 and the match 3-1.
Up next, the Bobcats will play at Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday, September 20. First serve from the Kelp Bed in Seaside, Calif., is scheduled for 5:00pm.
