BAKERSFIELD, Calif.– UC San Diego women's volleyball defeated CSU Bakersfield, 3-1, on Friday evening in Icardo Center.
The Tritons (14-17, 7-12 Big West) earned the season sweep over the 'Runners (7-24, 4-15 Big West) with a four-set victory, 25-13, 22-25, 30-28, 25-17.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego held the advantage in kills (63-51), and digs (58-48), while CSUB out-blocked the Tritons, 9-7. UC San Diego hit .265 as a team, compared to .192 for the 'Runners.
Zaria Henderson led the offense with a season-high 18 kills—adding an ace and 10 digs—while
Ava McInnes added 17 kills with two aces and
Shara Da Silva tallied a season-high 10.
Izzi Strand recored 50 assists, 11 digs, and two blocks.
Natalie Repetti finished with a season-high 28 digs and added four assists for the Tritons.
Dani Mason held the 'Runners at bay with a team-best and season-best five critical blocks.
The Tritons dominated the first set with a 25-13 result. UC San Diego hit .333 as a team with an ace and three blocks over the 'Runners.
UC San Diego faltered in the second set as CSUB responded with an early lead. The Tritons hitting dropped to .212 compared to the 'Runners .364. Towards the end of the set, the gold and blue went on a 6-1 run to bring themselves within two of CSUB but were unable to finish the rally. The 'Runners took set two, tying the match at 1-1.
Set three saw the Tritons and 'Runners tallying a total of 58 points between the teams as the Tritons took the set 30-28. The teams began trading points in the grueling set as CSUB tied the Tritons at the 19th point. Trading points and continuing to stay within one of each other, the momentum shifted twice when UC San Diego and the 'Runners called critical challenges disrupting each other's flow. The Tritons were able to sneak out of the set with a win on two kills from
Zaria Henderson with assists from
Izzi Strand and
Natalie Repetti.
In the final set, UC San Diego built an early lead after the set was tied at five, the Tritons scored five in a row forcing a 'Runner timeout. From that point on, CSUB was unable to come within three of UC San Diego and finished at 25-17. With 38 total attacks, the Tritons hit .316 and road the momentum of the third set win to finish the match victorious.
TRITON TIDBITS
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will wrap up its 2022 schedule on the road at Cal Poly on Saturday. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live statistics available via UCSDTritons.com.
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 83 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.
