SAN JOSEÂ -Â The UC San Diego women's volleyball team had its three-match win streak snapped Saturday as the Tritons were defeated, 3-1, at San Jose State.
Scores of the contest at Spartan Gym went 23-25, 25-16, 25-13, and 25-19. Playing in its first season as an NCAA Division I team, UC San Diego fell to 3-8. San Jose State won its second-straight match and improved to 6-4.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
In the opening set, UC San Diego came out swinging and posted a .370 hitting percentage with 13 kills and only three errors in 27 attack attempts. The Tritons' consistency and efficiency dwindled from there, however, as they hit .121 (27-15-99)Â over the next three sets to finish at .175 (40-18-126).
On the other side of the net, San Jose State put up a .301 (55-18-123) attack for the match and held key advantages in the service ace (13-3) and digs (56-42) departments.
The Tritons led for a majority of the first set, but the Spartans did make it close in the later stages. With UC San Diego in front by a score of 18-12, San Jose State went on a 10-4 run to bring it even at 22-22. The teams then traded points before the Tritons scored two straight, one on a service error by the Spartans, the other on a block by
Juliette Bokor, to go up 1-0 in the match.Â
UC San Diego never led or tied the score in the second set after the Spartans got out to a 3-0 start.Â
In the third frame, the Tritons' only lead came at 1-0. Trailing 7-4, they won four of the next five points to knot it up at 8-8, which would prove to be the final tie of the set. San Jose State scored the next two points to move in front. Leading 12-11, they won eight consecutive points to put the set out of reach.
The final set saw the Spartans lead wire-to-wire. At 4-3, they distanced themselves with a five-point run. UC San Diego did get back within four points twice. Behind 21-13, the Tritons won four straight points to bring it to 21-17. They also closed it to that same margin when the score was 23-19 following a double block by Bokor and
Sabire Karacaova followed by a kill from
Ava McInnes. San Jose State returned the favor with a kill and a block to shut down the set and the match.
Emily McDaniel led UC San Diego with 11 kills and McInnes was just behind with 10. McDaniel was on point, hitting .400 with just one error in 25 swings. Setter
Isabela Dobra finished with 29 assists and a team-best 11 digs. Bokor had six blocks, three of those solos.
Amethyst Harper paced San Jose State with 18 kills while setter Mia Shafer had four aces. Brook Bryant logged six blocks (one solo) and Sarah Smevog had a match-best 16 digs.
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QUOTABLE FROM HEAD COACH RICCI LUYTIES
San Jose State has a fast-paced offense that we were a little late reacting to. We have to keep improving in a few areas of our game. If we can do that, we'll start winning some of these close matches that we've been on the losing end of.
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TRITON TIDBITS
• It was the first-ever meeting between the Tritons and Spartans.
•
Isabela Dobra recorded her fifth double-double of the season.
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UP NEXT
UC San Diego finally plays its first-ever Big West Conference match on Sept. 24 at UC Santa Barbara. For the 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.
