BOULDER, Colo. – California volleyball bounced back from its Saturday night loss with a four-set win (25-16, 24-26, 25-16, 25-19) against UC Irvine on Sunday to close out the Buffs Invitational, heading back to the Bay Area with a record of 7-3 on the season and high hopes heading into its final two matches of nonconference play.
Three Golden Bears posted double-digit kills, with freshman Kate Mansfield leading the pack at 16 on a blistering .419 pace for a new career best; she was joined by Xuemeng (Maggie) Li and Peyton DeJardin, who posted 13 kills apiece. DeJardin also notched her third double-double of the season, adding 10 digs to her total, while Natalie Lau had her fourth double-double at 45 assists and 10 digs.
In addition to Mansfield, DeJardin and sophomore Sawyer Thomsen also posted new career highs, respectively earning five service aces and seven blocks. Gianna Bartalo (17) and Sophia Johnson (10) each recorded double-digit digs to join DeJardin and Lau.
The Bears started off the match by out-hitting the Anteaters (5-4) .385 to .100 in the first set, thanks in part to four kills apiece from Mansfield and Li. UC Irvine scored the first point off a Cal service error, but a quick kill from Li and a block from Thomsen and DeJardin allowed the Bears to take the lead for good. After growing their advantage to seven points at 12-5, Cal never allowed the Anteaters to come within more than four on the way to the set win.
UC Irvine’s lone set win came off a very quiet offensive outing from both teams, with the Anteaters recording six blocks to keep the Bears down early. Cal trailed by as…
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