FULLERTON, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton volleyball team suffered a 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-9) loss to UC Irvine in Big West Conference action at Titan Gym on Wednesday night.
The Anteaters (6-11, 1-2 BWC) were able to pick up their first Big West victory of the year led by Haley DeSales' 11 kills as she attacked at a clip of .556. Luna Tsujimoto added 17 digs, while Shelley Anderson speared the offense with 32 assists. The Anteaters boasted a .337 attacking percentage for the match.
The Titans (6-10, 1-1 BWC) were led by Shimen Fayad's eight kills, five blocks and five digs, while Madeline Schneider added seven kills.
The Fullerton offense struggled attacking at a clip of .102 for the match. Rachel Hall totaled 20 assists and Torrey Tinney and Madisen Babich each got their way to 10 digs apiece.
In the third set, UCI led from start to finish as DeSales posted five kills and as a team the Eaters hit .406, opening a 15-3 lead that was aided by a 7-0 run.
In the second set, the Titans were held to a .054 attacking percentage with eight kills and six errors in 37 attempts. With the second set even at 20-20, UCI scored three straight points on two Titan attack errors and a kill from DeSales.
The first set featured nine tie scores and three lead changes as the Titans hit .296, but the Anteaters eclipsed that clip at .400 led by Harlee Kekauoha's perfect attack rate of 5-for-5. The largest lead of the first set was Fullerton at 18-15 as Fayad and Summer Kerins teamed up on the block, but UCI ended the game on a 10-5 run.
Cal State Fullerton will return to action on Friday at 13th-ranked Hawai'i with the start time set for 10 p.m. PDT.
Notes: Cal State Fullerton has been swept five times in 2016…Fullerton has now lost seven straight to UCI.