RIVERSIDE, Calif.– UC San Diego women's volleyball dropped a hard-fought battle at UC Riverside, 3-2, on Thursday evening in SRC Arena. 
 
The Tritons (8-7, 1-2 Big West) dropped their fifth five-set contest of the season, 25-18, 22-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-17. With the win, the Highlanders improve to 3-10 and 1-2 in Big West play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego held the advantage in hitting percentage .220, compared to .109 for UCR, as well as the advantage in blocks (12-8), kills (60-55), assists (53-50) and digs (92-82). However, the Highlanders won the battle at the services line with 15 aces, compared to just two for the Tritons.
 
Zaria Henderson recorded her seventh double-double, finishing with a match-high 17 kills and a career-best 21 digs. Emily McDaniel finished one shy of her career mark with 14 kills and added five blocks, while Ava McInnes also tallied double-figure kills with 12. Shara Da Silva led the defensive effort at the net, finishing with eight blocks, while Naya Dong (20) and Natalie Repetti (15) both finished in double-figure digs. Aubrey Tanner recorded her first double-double in her first collegiate start, finishing with 44 assists and 15 digs. 
 
The Tritons took an early 8-5 lead in the opening set, before UCR tied things up at 14-all. The teams remained close until the Tritons closed out the set with an 8-2 scoring run to take the opening frame, 25-18.
 
It was a back-and-forth battle to begin the second set before the Highlanders built a 14-10 lead at the mid-point. After UC Riverside extended its lead to five at 22-17, the Tritons answered with a 5-1 scoring run to pull within one. However, a service error from UC San Diego and an ace by UCR closed out the set, 25-22.
 
In the third set, UC San Diego worked to swing momentum back in its favor, building a 14-10 lead midway through the set. The Highlanders then went on a 7-1 run to take the slight lead over the Tritons. The teams traded points before UCR pulled away 24-20. UC San Diego fought off three set points before the Highlanders eventually took the set, 25-23.
 
UC San Diego built a 12-8 lead early in set four before UC Riverside rallied for a 10-2 scoring run to take the lead. The Highlanders held a 23-20 lead late in the set, before the Tritons scored five consecutive points to take the set, 25-23, and force a deciding fifth set.
 
The fifth set was all Tritons to start, as UC San Diego jumped out to an 8-2 lead. However, UC Riverside rattled off a 6-1 scoring run to pull within one. The Highlanders finally pulled even at 11-all and the teams traded points to a 15-15 tie. A UCR kill and a block ended the match and secured the victory for the Highlanders.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• This marked the seventh time the Tritons have gone the distance this season. UC San Diego currently holds a 2-5 record in five-set matches.
• Zaria Henderson notched her seventh double-double this season and third in as many matches.
• With the loss, the Tritons moved to 7-14 in the all-time series with UC Riverside and 0-1 in the season series.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will remain on the road to face UC Davis on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be 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.