RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Nevada volleyball opened the weekend at the Riverside Classic, hosted by UC Riverside and Cal Baptist, dropping the first match 3-2 against Oregon State followed by a heartbreaking 3-2 loss over Cal Baptist Friday evening, moving to 2-6 on the season.
 
This was the third matchup between the Beavers and the Pack, their first meeting since 2010 when Oregon State swept Nevada 3-0. For Cal Baptist, this is only their second matchup against Nevada, their first in 2019 when the Pack secured the match 3-2 at Virginia Street Gym.
 
How it happened – vs. Oregon State
 
After going up 2-0 against the Oregon State Beavers, the match ultimately came down to the fifth set after Oregon State pulled off the reverse sweep, taking sets three through five, helping the Beavers warrant a four-match winning streak and move to 4-2 on the year. Clarke led the Nevada offense with 16 kills and two service aces, while Sanchez led the defense with 28 assists.
 
The Pack took the first two sets 25-22 and 25-18 to go up 2-0 over the Beavers. To kick off the second set, the Pack went on a 6-0 scoring run, continuing their momentum from the first set. Nevada then saw an eight-point lead over Oregon State 18-10, the largest lead from the first two sets, creating distance to ensure the Beavers wouldn't be able to catch up. After another run by the Pack, three kills in a row by Clarke, Liilii, and Platt secured the second set for Nevada, looking to put the match away heading into the third.
 
In the final three sets, it was all Beavers to help end their drought and secure the match. In the third, Nevada didn't allow Oregon State to extend their lead by more than two points at a time, before the Beavers tied it all up at 15-15 a piece. From there, Oregon State was able to hold on to their lead until the Pack tied it up once again at 23-23. Ultimately, two attack errors from Nevada would give the Beavers their first win of the day 25-23.
 
In the fourth, the Pack and the Beavers went back-and-forth between leading the set before Oregon State took control by a 4-1 run to end the set, tying the match up 2-2. Oregon State's 3-0 run to kick off the fifth helped set them up to dominate the set over the Pack, taking a nine-point lead before closing out the set 15-8 over Nevada to complete the reverse sweep.
 
How it happened – vs. Cal Baptist
 
The Wolf Pack and the Lancers put up hard-fought battles a marathon of events throughout each set as both teams brought it down to the wire. The win secured Cal Baptist's third win of the year, moving them to 3-5 overall. Leading the Pack offense was Bella Snyder with a hitting percentage of .609 tallying 14 kills and eight block assists. Clarke led with 16 kills and 8 digs, while defensively Tehya Maeva registered 44 assists and 23 digs.
 
After Nevada opened with a 3-0 run from an attack error by Cal Baptist's Michalina Rola and a service ace by Maeva, followed by a kill by Clarke, the Lancers answered back with a 5-0 run to lead 5-3 early on. The Pack forced the Lancers to call timeout after a 4-0 run allowed Nevada to tie the match at 19-19 a piece. The Lancers fired back with three unanswered points of their own to extend their lead by two, sitting at 22-20. Coming down to the wire, Nevada secured the match with a service ace by Maeva followed by a bad set by the Lancer's Leah Pease to take the first set 26-24.
 
At the media timeout, Cal Baptist had a three-point lead over Nevada 15-12. The Pack kept battling with five unanswered points to lead 18-17, forcing the Lancers to call timeout. Liilii recorded her first service ace of the match and Clarke registered back-to-back kills during the run. A 3-0 run by the Lancers helped them reach set point, Nevada down by just two. A kill by Cal Baptist's Catherine Krieger allowed them to take the set, tying the match 1-1.
 
Maeva kicked off the third set with her second service ace of the match followed by Hikialani's first service ace of the day, helping put the Pack up 5-3. Cal Baptist and Nevada continued battling back-and-forth for the lead, with the set featuring four lead changes and nine ties at the media timeout. The Pack went on a 3-0 run, Hikialani's second service ace of the day forcing the Lancers to call timeout. The Lancers tied it up at 23-23 with two back-to-back kills from Cal Baptist's Michalina Rola and Nicole Mauser. After Nevada and Cal Baptist reached set point two different times, the Wolf Pack came up with the set win 27-25.
 
Nevada registered four-straight kills, three from Clarke and one from Jordan Schwartz to take the 4-0 lead over the Lancers early in the fourth set. A 4-0 run by the Lancers brought them up by three over the Nevada before the Pack answered back to come within one, sitting at 15-14. The Lancers reached set point, leading 24-18 before Nevada answered back with Clarke's 16^th kill of the night and Maeva's third service ace of the match, but a kill by Cal Baptist's Laura Walewska secured the fourth set for the Lancers.
 
Midway through the fifth and final set, Cal Baptist held the lead at 8-5 heading into the media timeout. As the Lancers reached match point, Nevada fought to rally as back-to-back kills from Liilii and Hannah Platt brought the Pack within one at 14-13, forcing Cal Baptist to call their second timeout. Another kill by Liilii tied it all up at 14-14 a piece. For the fourth time in the set, the Lancers reached match point, ultimately securing the set 16-14, and match 3-2, with a service ace from Mia Jerue.
 
Up Next:
The Pack will begin their five-game home stand, opening next Thursday, Sept. 14 hosting the Wolf Pack Invitational. Nevada will take on Montana State at 6 p.m., followed by a match against California on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 1 p.m.
 
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Season tickets for the 11-match home schedule start at $45 for adults or $20 for youth (12 and under). Students get free admission with their Wolf Pack ID for all home games. For more information and to purchase, click HERE