LA JOLLA, Calif. - For the first time in 692 days the UC San Diego women's volleyball team played a home match and thrilled the 800 fans in attendance by defeating UC Riverside, 3-1, Friday night inside RIMAC Arena.

Scores of the Big West Conference contest were 25-10, 25-15, 23-25, and 25-16. With the win, the team's first-ever NCAA Division I victory in La Jolla, the Tritons improved to 5-9 overall and 2-1 in conference play. 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego hit a season-best .303 with 62 kills and 18 errors in 145 attack attempts. The Tritons' best hitting came in the fourth set as they posted a .390 (19-3-41).

The Highlanders were held to a .122 (36-19-139) attack.

Aside from the attack percentages, UC San Diego held big advantages in kills (62-36) and digs (68-49).

UC San Diego had several players post big offensive numbers as five Tritons finished with a double-digit kill total. Ava McInnes led the way with a match-high 17 kills and was followed by Trinity Castaneda (11), Sabire Karacaova (11), Juliette Bokor (10), and Emily McDaniel (10). Three of the five hit .300 or better with Castaneda recording her 11 kills with just three errors in 20 swings for a .400 hitting percentage.

For the second time this season, senior setter Isabela Dobra amassed over 50 assists with 51. She also added 16 digs for her seventh double-double of the year.

Libero Naya Dong finished with 20 digs, a match-best.

At the net, McDaniel had five blocks, four of those solo jobs.

UC Riverside (4-9, 0-3) got 15 kills from Amarachi Osuji and another 10 from Deja Bickers. Osuji led the Highlanders defensively with 12 digs while Anya Green had five blocks (one solo). 

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HIGHLIGHT REEL



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QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH RICCI LUYTIES



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TRITON TIDBITS
• UC San Diego played its first 13 matches as an NCAA Division I team on the road.
• The last time the Tritons played an official match at RIMAC Arena was on Nov. 9, 2019.
• The team's previous best hitting percentage this season was .286.
• Happy birthday to tri-captain Dani Mason, who assisted on the match-winning block.
• Tonight's contest was the first of a four-match home stand.

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UP NEXT
UC San Diego remains at home to host UC Davis on Saturday, Oct. 2. at 7 p.m. The Aggies lost in four sets at UC Irvine Friday.

All home matches this season will be broadcast live by ESPN+ and fans will also be able to follow along with live stats. For coverage links and UC San Diego's complete 2021 schedule, click here.

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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.