IRVINE, Calif.—Senior Alyssa Schultz recorded a team-high 15 kills in the Vandals opening match of the UC Irvine Tournament. Schultz surpassed the 700 career kills plateau Friday afternoon, but Idaho struggled offensively from the onset against host Irvine. UCI took the match 3-1, dropping Idaho to 1-4 on the season.

Schultz recorded 28 attacks, zero errors and an Idaho season-best .536 hitting percentage. The middle blocker also added five blocks on the day.

Similar to Thursday night's match at Long Beach State, Irvine came out strong with wins of 25-14, 25-19 in the first two sets. Idaho fought off the Anteaters in the third set, taking it all the way to 28 points. UCI finished off the match with a 25-13 win in the final set.

The third set featured seven ties and three lead changes, providing the most excitement of the match. The Vandals fell behind early, 3-1, before tying it up at six. The lead bounced back and forth, before Idaho grabbed the lead at 17-13. The Anteaters tied the match at 24 and fended off three Vandal set points. An attack error by UCI's Marisa Bubica eventually handed Idaho the 28-26 set win.

The Silver and Gold hit .304 as a team in the third set. Schultz provided a bulk of the offense, recording six of her 15 kills in the set. Freshman Becca Mau, junior Katelyn Peterson and senior Stephanie Hagins added three kills apiece. Mau and Hagins finished the afternoon with 10 and eight kills, respectively.

The Vandals return to Crawford Court later this evening. Idaho will meet a familiar rival in former Western Athletic Conference foe Utah State. The match is set for 5 p.m. PT. Idaho meets Pepperdine (11 a.m. PT) on Saturday to close out its stay at the UC Irvine Tournament.