University of California, Merced – Women’s Volleyball Falls in California Pacific Conference Tournament

PRESCOTT, Ariz. – The University of California, Merced women’s volleyball team fell in four sets to La Sierra University, 1-3 (11-25, 25-20, 20-25, 22-25) in the California Pacific Conference Quarterfinals last Thursday night.

Despite the season coming to an end, the Bobcats (12-16, 12-6) have many positives to take away from the season, including tying the program record with 12 Cal Pac wins and setting the record with nine conference sweeps.

Lexus Lagumbay highlighted the Bobcats efforts with 15 kills and 13 digs for her third double-double of the season and the sixth of her career. Two of her double-double’s have been in the postseason. Lagumbay is one of just two players in program history with multiple postseason kill/dig double-double’s, joining Jade Fachin.

Olivia Harden finished with 12 kills and two blocks. Olanasaze Ojo pitched in six kills, while Valentina Evans and Teola Nowak had five kills each. The trio also had two blocks apiece. 

Serena Choi held team-high with 21 assists and four blocks. 

Edwena Wong tied her career-high with 22 digs.

Other individual notables include eleven assists from Bianca Malaluan, seven assists from Wong and a career-high seven digs from Yatzary Lua.

La Sierra was led by Michele Mendizabal’s 13 kill, 10 dig and four block performance.

La Sierra tallied ten service aces and nine blocks as a team to go along with a strong attacking night.

UC Merced failed to grab a lead in the first set and found themselves down by six at the 10-4 mark and by double figures as early as the 18-8 mark. Harden managed to get a couple kills in before the end of the set but La Sierra took the frame, 25-11.

UC Merced bounced back from the first set loss and grabbed their first lead of the night thanks to three straight points with Annamarie Caldero behind the service line. There were eight lead changes in the second set and no team held a lead bigger than three points until head coach Ai Prachumri’s team went on a run late in the frame. A Choi solo block sparked a 6-0 UC Merced run that culminated with a 22-17 lead. Harden had three kills during the surge. Up 22-17, the two teams traded sideouts until the Bobcats evened the match 1-1 with a 25-20 victory.

However, the next two sets were all La Sierra. The eventual winner led for every rally in the third after they broke a 7-7 tie and built their lead to six points at the 16-10 mark. UC Merced kept it within that margin the rest of the way but ultimately…