SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Freshman
Sabire Karacaova put down a career-high 13 kills Friday night, but it wasn't enough as the UC San Diego women's volleyball team lost its first-ever Big West Conference match, 3-1, at UC Santa Barbara.
Scores at the Thunderdome were 20-25, 25-14, 25-19, and 25-18 in favor of the Gauchos, which improved to 5-8. The Tritons fell to 3-9. It was also UC Santa Barbara's Big West opener.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego started off strong, out-hitting its opponent, .297 to .104 in the opening set. However, the teams went in opposite directions after that. The Tritons hit .029 in set two and .140 in the third, while the Gauchos went .353 and .263. UC San Diego improved in the fourth, hitting .211, but UCSB had its most potent attack of the night, posting a .469.
Overall, UC San Diego swung at .171 (49-23-152) while UC Santa Barbara finished at .276 (59-17-152).
The Gauchos had a 12-6 advantage in blocks and led 6-3 in service aces, while both teams totaled 70 digs.
Karacaova led the Tritons in point production as she had two aces to add her to her kill total to finish with 15 points.
Emily McDaniel had a solid outing for the Tritons, flooring 12 kills with a lone error in 28 attack attempts, good for a .393 percentage. She tacked on two blocks (one solo), two digs, and an ace.
Ava McInnes also finished with 12 kills and added 13 digs for a double-double. Setter
Isabela Dobra totaled 35 assists and a team-high 19 digs to get her sixth double-double of the season. In fact, she currently owns a four-match streak of double-doubles.
For the Gauchos, Abrielle Bross had a match-best 14 kills and hit .406. Deni Wilson and Tasia Farmer each had 10 kills, with Wilson hitting .476 and Farmer coming in at .381. Wilson also had five blocks (one solo). Macall Peed led all players with 22 digs.
Leading 12-11 in the first set, the Tritons won eight of the next nine points to go up 20-12. The Gauchos answered by taking seven of the next nine points to get back within three at 22-19. UC San Diego was able to close out the frame with a McInnes kill and a pair of UCSB attack errors, one coming on a McDaniel block.
The Gauchos stormed out to an 11-3 lead in the second set and the Tritons could not recover.
UC San Diego held a 10-5 lead in the third and stayed in front until UC Santa Barbara was able to tie it at 14-14. At 17-15 in favor of the Tritons, the Gauchos reeled off eight unanswered points to move in front by a score of 23-17.
UC San Diego found itself in front again early in the fourth set, holding a 9-7 lead. UCSB responded with a 7-1 run to go up 14-10. The Tritons had the deficit down to three when a McInnes kill made it 18-15 in favor of the home team. Yet again, the Gauchos answered, taking the next five points to essentially seal the victory.
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TRITON TIDBITS
• The last time UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara played one another was in 1987.
• UC Santa Barbara has won all three meetings with UC San Diego.
• It was the sixth time this season the Tritons have finished with at least 70 digs.
• UC San Diego's three solo blocks tonight equaled the team's season-high.
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Ava McInnes has totaled at least 10 kills in four of her last five matches.
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Sabire Karacaova has at least 10 kills in four of seven matches played.
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Juliette Bokor has multiple blocks in eight of 12 matches, including a season-high six on three occasions.
• UCSB's 59 kills were the most by any Triton opponent this season.
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UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays Saturday at Big West opponent CSUN at 7 p.m. The Matadors are 1-10 overall and 0-1 in conference play after losing to UC Irvine Friday in four sets at home.
For 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.
