RIVERSIDE, Calif.— The UC Riverside Women's Volleyball Team fell 3-0 Friday night in a match where the overall score was not indicative of the heated competition that took place between the Highlanders and visiting Hawaii.

Each set was closer than the last in this Big West Conference matchup as the Rainbow Wahine found three straight sets 16-17-22. In each contest both teams would trade off points till half way through the set where Hawaii would then find its rhythm and grab a late run to close out.

The 1st set was iced at 10-10 before the Rainbow Wahine found three different runs of three or more points and took a 1-0 lead overall. The 2nd set was a similar story as both teams were tied at 9-9 before Hawaii went on a 10-3 run and traded points with the Highlanders to go up 2-0.

UCR came alive in the 3rd as the team took the lead on eight different occasions but another late run would give the Rainbow Wahine match point at 24-18. With their back against the wall the Highlanders would rise to the occasion scoring four straight to cut the lead to 24-22, but Hawaii would find the final kill to take the match 3-0.

The Highlander freshmen would again lead the attack as Marissa Holt and Nailah Jones put down nine and eight kills, respectively. The two outside hitters were setup all night by senior Chelsea Doyle who earned a match-high 24 assists.

On the defensive end it was sophomore libero Nicole Rodriguez that showed out with a team-best 14 digs.

The Highlanders will now take a break from conference play as they will visit Cal Baptist in the first ever DI meeting between the two teams Tuesday evening.

Make sure to head out to CBU and support your Highlanders in the Crosstown Showdown!