UC Riverside
Cal Poly Comeback Falls Short against UCR in Five Sets
11/17/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Cal Poly volleyball team came back from a two set deficit to force a fifth and deciding set only to fall 15-13 to UC Riverside in a Big West Conference volleyball match on Saturday in Riverside. UCR won by sets scores of 25-17, 25-20, 18-25, 15-25 and 15-13.
With the loss the Mustangs fall to 3-25 overall and 2-14 in conference matches while UCR improves to 8-22 overall and 2-14 in Big West contests.
Junior Chelsea Hardin led the Mustangs with 13 kills with senior Molly Pon adding 10 of her own. Hardin's kills came on 32 swings while Pon's came on 27. Juniors Holly Franks and Megan McConnell each added eight kills of their own. Freshman Nicole Kessler led Cal Poly with 16 digs with Steffi Sooter adding 13.
Amadna Vialpando led all players with 18 kills with teammate Ashley Cox helping out with 13 kills.
Cal Poly outhit UCR, .239 to .169, but UCR had nine aces to Cal Poly's six with the Mustangs committing four more service errors, 18-14. The Mustangs held a 63-53 advantage in digs and outblocked the Highlanders, 10.5 to 4.
In the first set UCR grabbed and early lead and moved out to a 10-5 lead when Cal Poly called timeout. Cal Poly kept it within five points most of the way until the end of the set when UCR put it away 25-17.
In the second set UCR took an early lead with the Mustangs keeping pace within two, 13-11, on a kill by Kuber. UCR expanded its lead to 17-11. Cal Poly cut it to four, 17-13, on an attack error by the Highlanders. Cal Poly made it a one point set, 20-19, on an error by UCR and an ace by McConnell, but UCR put away the set 25-20.
The third set saw the Mustangs move out to a 6-3 lead on a kill by Franks and maintain the lead on a kill by Hardin. Cal Poly kept an 8-4 lead on a kill by Pon. UCR cut the lead to two, (11-9) on a kill by Cox, but the Mustangs came back on a kill by Hardin for a three point advantage.
The Mustangs held a four point advantage (17-13) on a kill by Marianne Gera forcing a UCR timeout. Cal Poly kept the pressure on and on a kill by Hardin held a 21-14 lead with the Mustangs closing out the set, 25-18.
In the fourth set Cal Poly took a commanding, 10-4, lead on back to back kills by Pon. Cal Poly made it a 10 point lead (16-6) on a kill by Franks and held an 18-10 lead on another kill by Franks.
Franks continued with the hot hand with a kill making the score, 21-10, with the Mustangs putting away the set, 25-15, forcing a fifth and final set.
In the fifth and deciding set the teams traded points until Cal Poly took a 4-2 lead on an attack error by the Highlanders. UCR came out of a timeout and scored two straight to tie the set only the have the Mustangs respond with two of their own for a 6-4 advantage thanks in part to a Pon kill.
UCR came back to tie the set up at 8-8 on a service error by the Mustangs and take a two point lead on back to back kills by Vialpando. UCR made it a three point lead, 12-9, on an attack error by the Mustangs. Cal Poly made it 13-11 on a pair of kills by Hardin. Cal Poly cut the lead to one on an attack error by UCR, but after a kill held match point and put it away on a service error by Cal Poly.
