CARSON, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's volleyball team came up short in the road trip opener at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday night, falling in four sets (25-12, 25-12, 24-26, 25-20). The Bobcats dropped to 4-7 on the year.
Natalie Riley led the Bobcats with eleven kills on a .320 hitting percentage. Riley also had six digs and a service ace.
Kyra Miller had 17 assists, nine digs, a season-high eight kills, two service aces, and a block. Her eight kills came while operating at a .313 success rate.
Callie Neufeld added six kills and six digs, while Morgan Kristy had a career-high five kills.
Morgan Wilson, Giselle Henley, and Yahaira Vazquez pitched in four kills each. Henley also finished with a career-high three blocks.
Eve Dixon put up a career-high 14 assists and seven digs.
Jazmine Banks notched 15 digs and five assists.
Cal State Dominguez hills opened the match with three straight points before trading sideouts with the Bobcats for a stretch. CSUDH took full control at the 10-7 mark, exploding on a 7-1 run and a 15-5 set-ending run to go up 1-0 in the match. CSUDH hit .414 in the set, while holding the Bobcats to just a .038 mark.
The Toros kept their momentum in the second set and jumped out to an 11-3 lead. UC Merced cut the deficit in half shortly after highlighted by a pair of Henley blocks, but the Toros responded with an 8-0 run to go up 20-8. The Bobcats were unable to recover.
Set three had seven ties and three lead changes in the first 15 rallies before CSUDH grabbed the first three-point lead of the frame, leading 10-7. The Bobcats answered the deficit with a 6-2 run to jump back in front highlighted by two kills each from Wilson and Riley. UC Merced's lead was 13-12 and the two teams then went point-for-point into the late part of the set. CSUDH regained the lead at 23-22, but a block from Henley and Miller followed by a Riley kill put the Bobcats at set point leading 24-23. After a UC Merced service error, CSUDH followed suit to give the Bobcats another opportunity at set point which was captured one rally later via a ball handling error by the Toros. UC Merced hit .375 in the frame to extend the match.
Miller opened the fourth set with back-to-back service aces before the Toros put together three straight kills and a service ace to go up 4-2. UC Merced battled back to pull even 9-9, but could never garner another lead as CSUDH embarked on an 8-2 run to create separation. The Bobcats were unable to get any closer than three points the rest of the way, and the Toros reached 20 points while leading 20-16 on their way to the four-set victory.
Up next, UC Merced will play at Cal State San Marcos on Saturday, September 26. First serve from the Sports Center in San Marcos, Calif., is scheduled for 3:00pm.
