IRVINE, Calif. - It was a grueling start to the season Friday for the University of California San Diego women's volleyball team as it dropped a pair of five-set matches to Simon Fraser and host Concordia (Calif.) on the first day of play at the CUI Eagles Labor Day Classic.
Scores in the first match from Concordia's CU Arena were 24-26, 25-11, 17-25, 25-19 and 15-10 in favor of SFU. It was the first match of the year for both schools.
With a 6-5 lead in the fifth and deciding set, Simon Fraser went on an explosive, six-point run to go up 12-5 and essentially seal the victory. UCSD won five of the final eight points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit.
Senior outside hitter Meagan Wright (San Diego/Bonita Vista HS) recorded a double-double with 19 kills and 20 digs, both team-highs. Freshman outside Jessyka Beksa finished with 13 kills in her collegiate debut, while freshman setter Marie Paris collected 42 assists and 11 digs to register a double-double in her first outing. Junior middle blocker Rebecca Seaberry had six kills and eight blocks (three solos). Freshman opposite Simone Froley hit .389 with eight kills and just one error in 18 attempts.
Five others, including Lindsey Chun (freshman libero), Rachel Linden (junior setter), Alyson Penrose (freshman libero), Jessica Rieble (freshman middle blocker) and Allison Tiegs (sophomore middle blocker) played their first career match as a Triton.
For the Clan, Devon May had a match-best 25 kills to go along with 12 digs. Emma Jennings also finished in double-double land with 20 kills and 11 digs, as did setter Tamara Nipp with 55 assists and 11 digs. Alison McKay racked up 34 digs and Tessa May had nine blocks.
Simon Fraser held a substantial .243 (70-25-185) to .192 (56-22-177) advantage in attack percentage, while UC San Diego owned an 81-67 lead in digs. Both teams were strong at the net as the Tritons had 13.5 blocks and the Clan had 12.0.
It was just the second-ever match between UC San Diego and Simon Fraser. The series is now even as the Tritons won in four sets back in 1999.
UCSD entered the battle with a 15-1 (.938) record in NCAA Division II season openers (since 2000).
In the nightcap, Concordia rallied from two sets down, taking the victory by scores of 20-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-20 and 15-7. Both teams received votes in the AVCA's preseason national poll.
Again, Wright was the offensive workhorse, tallying another double-double with a match-high 21 kills coupled with 15 digs. Beksa finished with 12 kills and 16 digs, while Paris had 40 helpers and 18 digs. Chun led the team with 20 digs and Froley had six block assists.
Rachel Flynn and Cindy Tran each had 14 kills for the Eagles, who improved to 2-0 on the young season. Taylor Dennison's 33 digs led all players.
Neither team hit well with UCSD swinging at a .170 (59-26-194) clip and CUI ending up at .180 (59-24-194). The Tritons were plagued by 11 service errors.
Leading 8-5 in the fifth frame, Concordia rattled off five consecutive points and the Tritons could not put together a rally.
Fifteen of UCSD's 17 players saw action in the match, with Emily Kimball (freshman opposite) (Encinitas/San Dieguito Academy) playing in her first collegiate competition.
"We had some flashes of how we want to play, but we just weren't consistent enough throughout the matches," said seventh-year UC San Diego head coach Ricci Luyties. "With a lot of new players on the court at the same time, we have to work out the small details to keep pressure on our opponents."
UC San Diego wraps up play at the Labor Day Classic Saturday with matches against Azusa Pacific (0-2) at 11 a.m. and Seattle Pacific (1-1) at 3:30 p.m. Both contests will be covered by live stats and live video.
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