RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team rallied to extend Thursday's match at UC Riverside, but couldn't hold off the Highlanders' comeback in the fifth set and dropped the opener of their Big West road trip at SRC Arena in Riverside, Calif.
 
Down 2-1 in the match, UH erased a four-point deficit to force a fifth set. The Rainbow Wahine (15-8, 9-4 Big West) jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the decisive set before UCR chipped away then bolted ahead with an 8-2 surge to close out the 29-27, 17-25, 25-22, 25-27, 15-13 win in the Highlanders' first victory over UH in program history.
 
UH entered the match 33-0 all-time against UC Riverside and had won 36 consecutive sets against the Highlanders. UCR (9-18, 4-10) took a set off of the 'Bows for the first time 2017 to open the match and broke through in the series with the comeback in the fifth.

UH fell a game behind Big West leader UC Davis entering a matchup with the Aggies on Saturday in Davis, Calif.
 
The loss overshadowed a remarkable performance from UH outside hitter Caylen Alexander, who put away 36 kills on a career-high 85 attempts with a .318 hitting percentage. She also had an ace and 14 digs in her 14^th double-double of the season.
 
Alexander had 12 kills and eight errors through the first two sets, then went 24-for-49 with just one error to hit .469 over the final three sets. She came up two kills shy of the career high she set on Sept. 14 season against Texas State.
 
Her attempts total was the program's highest since Kim Willoughby took 88 swings against UCLA on Dec. 6, 2001. It was also the first time a UH player took 80-plus attempts since Willoughby's 81 on Sept. 7, 2002.
 
Outside hitter Stella Adeyemi finished with 12 kills while hitting .345. Middle blocker Jacyn Bamis also finished with 12 kills and had two aces.
 
Setter Kate Lang set a career high with 59 assists and had nine digs to surpass 1,000 for her career. The senior became the third UH setter to record 4,000 assists and 1,000 digs in a career, joining Kanoe Kamana'o (2003-06) and Martina Cincerova (1985-88).
 
Libero Tayli Ikenaga posted 27 digs and freshman Victoria Leyva set a season-high with 19.
 
UC Riverside claimed a marathon opener to take a set against UH for the first time since Sept. 30, 2017 when the 'Bows rallied to a reverse sweep over the Highlanders. UH fought off three set points before UCR finished off the set.
 
UH erased a 5-1 deficit in the second set and aces from Lang, Bamis and Hakas helped the 'Bows build a 12-8 lead. An Alexander ace extended the lead to 23-16 and UH went on to even the match.
 
UH led 22-21 in the third set, but UCR scored the final four points to take the lead in the match. The Highlanders appeared poised to close out the win in the fourth with a 21-17 lead. Alexander then fueled a 4-0 run with three consecutive kills and a UCR attack error tied the set at 21-21. The 'Bows had two set points before Bamis ended the set with her second ace of the match.
 
UH rolled the momentum into a 7-1 start in the fifth. A UCR error was reversed after a review and back-to-back aces cut the lead to 9-7. The Highlanders tied the set at 11-11 and went on to earn match point at 14-12. Alexander kept UH alive with her 36^th kill but Sophia Ewalefo's eight kill ended the match.
 
Trinity Sheridan led UC Riverside with 19 kills and Kailyn Jager added 12 kills and 23 digs. Jessica Dean led the UCR defense with 27 digs.
 
UH continues its road trip with a matchup with Big West leader UC Davis on Saturday at University Credit Union Center in Davis. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. Pacific Time (12 p.m. Hawai'i time).