FULLERTON, California — The UC San Diego women's volleyball team outlasted Cal State Fullerton to pick up a 3-2 victory Saturday on the road.
Scores of the Big West Conference contest were 25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 18-25, and 15-13 at Titan Gym.
With just two matches remaining in their season, the Tritons improved to 10-19 overall and 7-11 in the Big West. The Titans dropped to 10-15 and 7-11.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego won the first two sets, but Cal State Fullerton surged to win sets three and four to force a deciding fifth frame.
In the fifth, the Tritons got out to a 3-0 lead backed by a
Trinity Castaneda kill followed by back-to-back kills from
Ava McInnes. They stayed in front the rest of the way, but the path wasn't easy. Another three-point run put UC San Diego up 6-2, but The Titans won four of the next five points to get back within one, 7-6.
Zaria Henderson then put down two kills to pace a four-point UC San Diego run that brought it to 11-6. Once again, Cal State Fullerton answered by winning five of the next six points to close within a single point at 12-11. The sides then traded points up to 14-13 before a Castaneda kill closed it out.
McInnes established a new career-high and a match-high with 25 kills, eclipsing her previous best by one. She led a quartet of Tritons that finished with a double-digit kill total including
Sabire Karacaova (17), Castaneda (14), and
Grace Cannon (11). Cannon's 11 kills were a career-best and Karacaova's 17 matched her career-high.
Continuing with career performances, setter
Isabela Dobra dished out 71 assists, a career-best. Also joining the list wasÂ
Natalie Repetti with 23 digs, which was also a match-high.
Susanna Limb amassed 20 digs for the Tritons.
UC San Diego totaled 90 digs, tied for the team's second-most this season.
Cal State Fullerton led in several statistical categories including hitting percentage (.276-.244), blocks (16-5), and aces (8-4).
The Titans were led offensively by Makena Ala'ilima-Daley, who had 22 kills. She was followed by Julia Crawford with 15 and Haley Carmo with 14. Five players had multiple blocks including Marisse Turner with 10.
UC San Diego swept the season series as the Tritons defeated the Titans 3-1 on October 16 in La Jolla.
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WHAT HEAD COACH RICCI LUYTIES HAD TO SAY
"What a crazy up and down match! Both teams kept coming back no matter how far behind. It made it exciting but totally nerve-racking.
In a match like this with several starters out and playing a good team on the road, others players had to come up big and they did.
I'm really happy for them because I think it's a great win against a quality team."
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TRITON TIDBITS
• It was the 17th double-double of the season for
Isabela Dobra.
• Dobra's previous career-high in assists was 58, set earlier this season.
• It was the sixth five-set match for UC San Diego this season.
• It was the third season series sweep for the Tritons this year (CSUN, UC Riverside).
• UC San Diego's most digs in a match this season was 101 vs. Marist on August 27.
• Seven Tritons will be recognized on November 27 during Senior Day including
Trinity Castaneda, Dobra,
Morgan Gallagher,
Emily Hubbard,
Susanna Limb,
Jovana Papaz, and
Cindy Tran.
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UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays its final two matches of the season at home next week. The Tritons host CSU Bakersfield on Friday, November 26 (7 p.m.) and welcome Cal Poly to RIMAC Arena on Saturday, November 27 (5 p.m.) for Senior Day.
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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.
