Women’s Volleyball – Fri, Sep. 9, 2022 at 9:05 AM
PASADENA, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women’s volleyball team earned a five-set victory over Providence Christian College in the California Pacific Conference opener on Thursday night, beating the Sea Beggars by set scores of 25-19, 20-25, 25-20, 15-25, 15-9 on a night in which the Bobcats broke the program’s solo blocks record.
With the win, the Bobcats (3-4, 1-0) start 1-0 in conference play for the third time in the last four years.
Bianca Malaluan held match-high with 24 assists, while Valentina Evans and Haley Branley held match-high’s of five solo blocks and five service aces, respectively. All three Bobcats also set career-high’s with those marks.
Evans is the fifth Bobcat in program history with at least five solo blocks in a match. UC Merced’s eleven solo blocks overall are two better than the previous record last set on September 18, 2021 also at Providence.
Evans also dominated offensively with a career-high ten kills and just one error on 14 attempts for a .643 hitting percentage.
Hannah Dillingham shared match-high with eleven kills on a .323 hitting percentage.
Serena Choi stuffed the stat sheet with 15 assists, eleven digs and seven kills for her third career double-double.
Olanasaze Ojo and Teola Nowak finished with eight kills each. Ojo also had five digs and three solo blocks. Semiramis Tanasecu was good for two solo blocks.
Jalen Carey pitched in a career-high 14 digs in addition to a pair of service aces. Tea Bishop finished with 12 digs, one short of a career-high.
Other notables include eight digs from Malaluan, six digs and two service aces from Destiny Lei Ramilo, and a solo block from Dillingham.
The Bobcats five-set wins makes head coach Ai Prachumsri‘s squad 2-1 in five-set affairs this year.
UC Merced won a comeback bid in the opening set after trailing 10-6 and 17-13. With Branley behind the service line, the Bobcats went on a 7-0 run to take the lead and they would go on a set-ending 12-2 run overall. Evans left her mark all over the set-ending run, punishing the Sea Beggars with four kills and a solo block.
The two teams traded runs in the second set, but a Providence 9-3 run late sealed it for the home team and the match was tied 1-1. The Bobcats were up 11-8 prior to the Sea Beggars gaining control and winning the set 25-20.
It was all Bobcats from start to finish in the third set. The Bobcats first six points came via the kill or the block, while two…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of California, Merced – News…