LA JOLLA, Calif. - For the second consecutive year, the 3rd-ranked UC San Diego women's volleyball team handed No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino its first loss of the season in a 25-19, 25-16, 13-25, 25-20 win in front of 919 fans in RIMAC Arena on Saturday night. The win moves the Tritons (20-1, 12-1 California Collegiate Athletic Association) into a tie for first-place as the Coyotes drop to 19-1, 12-1 CCAA. Sylvia Schmidt led the way for the Tritons with 18 kills on .302 hitting. Katie Condon added 11 kills as the Tritons hit at a .433 clip through the first two sets.

"This was obviously a very big win for us, playing for a share of first place in the conference," head coach Tom Black said. "San Bernardino is great opponent and you know its going to be a great test every time you play them. This definitely gives us the confidence that we can play with the best and it's something to build on going forward. I am very proud of the girls and what they were able to accomplish tonight."

With the UCSD win, the Tritons and Coyotes have now split the CCAA series in each of the last five seasons.

In addition to Schmidt's 18 kills, the senior recorded five digs and an important block in the first set. Condon added nine digs to go along with her 11 kills and Julia Freidenberg sent down nine kills on .615 hitting.

Roxanne Brunsting had a match-high 16 digs while Elaine Chen had 40 assists, eight digs and four kills.

In the first set, the Tritons hit at a .400 clip. Leading 17-16, Schmidt recorded a kill and a solo block to swing the momentum as UCSD opened up a 21-16 lead. The Tritons cruised to the 25-19 set one win.

With the second set tied at 6-6, UCSD sent on an 8-1 run which included two Freidenberg kills to lead 14-7. UCSD would lead by as many as 10 points at 20-10. Hillary Williamson recorded the final kill at 25-16. The Tritons hit at a .457 clip in set two.

The third set was another set which was not close. CSUSB scored 11 of the first 14 points and never looked back. UCSD pulled as close as six points at 18-12, but the Coyotes scored seven of the final eight points for the 25-13 win. CSUSB hit .300 in the set as UCSD hit .028.

The fourth set was the closest of the night with 15 ties and seven lead changes. CSUSB scored four of the first five points, only to see the Tritons tie the set at 5-5. The final tie of the set came at 19-19 as CSUSB recorded a block. Brunsting came up with a service run as UCSD scored four unanswered points. Schmidt had a kill in the run but the Coyotes hurt themselves with three consecutive attack errors as UCSD led 23-19. After a CSUSB side out, Schmidt sent down a kill to set match point. Freidenberg won a joust at the net for the final point at 25-20.

UCSD is back in action on Thursday, October 22 when it travels to Carson to face Cal State Dominguez Hills. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.