MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's volleyball team was defeated in four sets (25-17, 25-18, 23-25, 25-12) by Cal State East Bay on Saturday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
Natalie Riley led the Bobcats (4-12, 1-6) with 17 kills for her ninth consecutive double-figure kill performance. Riley also had seven digs and tied her career-high with two service aces.
Morgan Wilson tallied eight kills and three blocks, one solo.
Kylah Guzman tied her season-high with six kills, while Ayana Ruffin tied her career-high with five kills and recorded a .364 hitting percentage. Ruffin added a block.
Kyra Miller totaled 35 assists, eleven digs, three kills, and three blocks. The senior has consecutive double-double's for the first time this season. Miller has registered seven double-double's overall in 2026.
Jazmine Banks finished with 22 digs and a service ace. With her outing, Banks passed Genna Garrett and Lexus Lagumbay for fourth in program history with 804 career digs. She also passed Garrett and Alexa Ultreras for seventh in program history with 76 career service aces.
Kaitlyn Anderson collected a four-set career-high 12 digs and added an ace, while Mariainez Lopez delivered her first three service aces of the season. Callie Neufeld had nine digs and four kills.
The first set was a game of runs. Cal State East Bay opened the night with an 11-3 run before the Bobcats put together a 9-2 burst to pull within a point. Riley highlighted the Bobcats run with three consecutive kills to make it 13-12. However, the Pioneers responded with six straight points and used an extended 9-1 run to pull away for good, leading 22-13. East Bay's run was a mix of kills and Bobcat attack errors. East Bay secured set point on its second opportunity with a kill, 25-17.
After four ties in the second set, the Bobcats gained their first lead at 10-9 after a 3-0 spurt highlighted by a Miller and Wilson block. UC Merced also led 11-10 after a Wilson kill. CSUEB answered the deficit with three straight points and pieced together a 7-2 run to go up 17-13. The Bobcats pulled within two points at 17-15 and 18-16, but couldn't get any closer as the Pioneers went on another 7-2 run to win the set. CSUEB hit .296 in the frame while holding the Bobcats to -.026.
Set three featured 15 ties and seven lead changes with the Bobcats battling to force a fourth set. UC Merced's first lead was at 8-7 and after multiple ties and lead changes, the Bobcats registered their first two-point lead at any point of the set at 19-17 following a Miller solo block. After a Pioneers point, Riley delivered a kill that was followed by a Pioneers attack error for a three-point lead at 21-18. UC Merced also led by three at 22-19 but found themselves tied 22-22 quickly after. Neufeld broke the tie and smacked back-to-back kills to make it 24-22. Ruffin scored set point two rallies later with a kill. The Bobcats tallied 14 kills overall in the set to extend the match.
Cal State East Bay jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the fourth set and the Bobcats were unable to recover. A little later with CSUEB in front 12-8, the Pioneers exploded on an 8-0 run to go up 20-8. The teams alternated points to the finish, with the Pioneers delivering a kill for match point at 25-12. CSUEB hit a match-high .333 in the set.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats tallied a four-set season-high 74 digs.
Up next, UC Merced will play at Cal Poly Humboldt on Thursday, October 15. First serve from Lumberjack Arena in Arcata, Calif., is scheduled for 7:00pm.
