UC Irvine women’s volleyball defeated Cal State Fullerton 3-1 on September 26, 2026, at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif., earning their first Big West Conference win of the season. The Anteaters won the match with set scores of 25-17, 19-25, 25-17, 25-17, improving their overall record to 3-10 and conference record to 1-1.
UC Irvine dominated at the net, recording a season-high 17.5 total team blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Abby Pekrul led the effort with a career-best 10 blocks, tying for 13th in single-match school history. Junior libero Whitney Wallace anchored the defense with 21 digs, marking her fifth 20-plus dig performance this season.
Freshman middle blocker Taylor Boice paced the offense with 13 kills and added five block assists, while junior outside hitter Madison Triplett contributed 12 kills and at least one block, achieving double-digit kills in four of her last five matches. Freshman outside hitter Memphis Burnett added seven kills, a season-best 11 digs, and six blocks, and junior opposite Ava Gronemeyer posted a season-high six kills and a career-high six blocks.
Senior setter Nicole Feliciano provided balanced production with 28 assists, 16 digs, four kills, three blocks, and two service aces. UC Irvine outperformed Cal State Fullerton in kills (48-41), digs (69-62), blocks (17.5-8), and hitting percentage (.160 to .030).
Cal State Fullerton fell to 5-10 overall and 0-2 in Big West play. Their top contributors were Kaia Herweg with nine kills and Kaieva Christensen with 13 digs. UC Irvine has now won nine consecutive matches against Cal State Fullerton in the all-time series.
CSB Take
This victory marks a pivotal moment for UC Irvine women’s volleyball as they capture their first conference win of the season, demonstrating significant improvement in both offense and defense. Abby Pekrul’s standout blocking performance highlights the team’s developing presence at the net, while Whitney Wallace’s consistent digging remains a defensive cornerstone. Maintaining this momentum will be crucial as UC Irvine prepares for upcoming road matches against UC Riverside and California Baptist, aiming to build on their Big West Conference success.
Source: Original report
