LA JOLLA, Calif. - Strong blocking and serving, along with a pair of double-doubles, helped the UC San Diego women's volleyball team to a 3-0 drubbing of 25th-ranked Cal State L.A. Friday night at RIMAC Arena.
Scores in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) contest were 25-17, 25-12 and 25-12. UCSD improved to 7-5 overall and 3-1 in conference outings.
The Tritons were all over the Golden Eagles at the net, out-blocking them 10-2. It was a season-high total as five players had multiple stuffs including Rebecca Seaberry (5), Kameron Cooper (3), Alyssa McNeely (3), Heidi Sierks (3) and Danielle Dahle (2).
UCSD's service game was also on point as it blanked its opponent, 8-0. Amanda Colla had five, while Sierks put down a pair.
Once again, UC San Diego's outside duo of Dahle and Meagan Wright led the team in kills and points. Wright topped all players with 12 kills and 14.0 points and added 12 digs to complete a double-double. It was her sixth double of the season, tied for the team lead. Dahle finished with 11 kills and 13.5 points.
Sierks also picked up her sixth double-double of the year with 27 assists and a match-best 15 digs.
As a team, the Tritons hit .224 (38-14-107) and enjoyed a 69-37 gap in sideout percentage.
CSULA had no players hit double figures in kills or points. Iona Lofrano led with seven kills and 7.5 points while also contributing 11 digs. Kelsey Molnar had 12 digs.
The Golden Eagles hit in the negative for the match, finishing at -.019 (22-24-104). In the second set, they had just four kills while making 12 errors in 32 attacks (-.250).
Tied 11-11 in the opening set, UCSD scored three straight points and would never relinquish the lead.
The Tritons strung together two six-point runs in the second frame. Dahle had three kills in the first and Cal State L.A. had four hitting errors in the second. UCSD led by 13 points on three occasions.
UC San Diego exploded for another six consecutive points in the third set, highlighted by two Cooper kills and a solo block and kill by Wright. The assist on Wright's kill went to Cooper. At 20-12, the Tritons won the next five points to take the match.
It was UC San Diego's fourth victory in its last five matches, with three of those wins league sweeps. In addition, it was the seventh time UCSD had faced off against a national top-25 team. The Tritons are now 4-3 in those match-ups.
CSULA lost its second-straight match for the first time this season and fell to 10-3 overall and 3-2 in the CCAA.
The Tritons conclude their three-match home stand Saturday by hosting league opponent Cal State Dominguez Hills (3-10, 1-4). The struggling Toros fell in four sets at No. 17 Cal State San Bernardino Friday. The match starts at 7 p.m. and UCSD students are admitted free of charge.
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