LA JOLLA, California — The first-ever NCAA Division I competition season for the UC San Diego women's volleyball team came to a close Saturday.

The Tritons were defeated, 3-0, by Big West Conference opponent Cal Poly at RIMAC Arena. Scores were 25-20, 25-17, and 25-20.

UC San Diego finished its 2021 campaign with a 10-21 overall record and a 7-13 mark in conference matches. 

The Mustangs won their second match in as many days to move to 15-16 and 13-7.

------

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego hit just .019 with 24 kills and 22 errors in 104 attack attempts. A strong Cal Poly presence at the net was a factor as the Mustangs out-blocked the Tritons 14-4.

Cal Poly countered with a .223 attack, putting down 44 kills with 19 errors in 112 swings. The Mustangs also held advantages in assists (41-23), digs (53-40), and service aces (7-2).

Outside hitter Ava McInnes was the Tritons' leader in kills with nine. Opposite Trinity Castaneda followed with seven. Libero Naya Dong finished with 16 digs, a match-best.

For Cal Poly, Tommi Stockham posted a match-high with 14 kills. Amy Hiatt also registered a double-figure kill total with 12. Meredith Phillips and Kate Slack each had six blocks, while Lea Unger logged 14 digs and four aces.

------

HIGHLIGHT REEL



------

CINDY TRAN INTERVIEW



------

TRITON TIDBITS
• It was the final outing for seven Triton seniors - Susanna Limb, Jovana Papaz, Emily Hubbard, Trinity Castaneda, Isabela Dobra, Morgan Gallagher, and Cindy Tran. Five of the seven saw playing time tonight while Hubbard and Tran were out due to injuries.
• For the season, UC San Diego led opponents in kills (1526-1510), total attack attempts (4435-4239), assists (1398-1364), and digs (1917-1857).
• Ava McInnes led the team in kills (359), kills/set (3.21), points (404.5), points/set (3.61), service aces (23, tied with Isabela Dobra).
• Isabela Dobra ended her senior season with 1,097 assists and 18 double-doubles.
• UC San Diego swept its two-match Big West season series against Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, and UC Riverside.

------
 
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.