RIVERSIDE, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball earned its second straight road sweep, defeating UC Riverside, 25-21, 25-15, 25-14, on Saturday afternoon in SRC Arena. With the victory, the Tritons (15-9, 7-5 Big West) moved to 5-1 in the Division I series and 2-0 this season against the Highlanders (4-20, 3-9 Big West).
 
Ava McInnes tallied nine kills (.450) and added 11 digs, two aces and a block for the Tritons, while Sabire Karacaova also finished with nine kills (.310), 10 digs, two aces and a block as well. Nevada Knowles and Lauren Brooker split time at setter with 18 and 13 assists respectively, directing the offense to a .276 team hitting percentage.
 
Defensively, the Tritons were led by Emily McDaniel with five blocks, while Katie Rapp and Jasmine Saran added four and two respectively. Natalie Repetti recorded a match-high 20 digs, adding two aces as well for UC San Diego.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set saw a back-and-forth battle that saw 14 ties and seven lead-changes, with the teams knotted up as late as 18-18. The Tritons then put together a four-point scoring run with Repetti at the service line to make it 22-18. The teams traded side outs to close out the set and UC San Diego took the opening frame, 25-21.
 
The Tritons carried the momentum into the second set, jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead. UC San Diego extended its lead with another six-point run with Knowles at the line to make it 17-7. With the set well in hand the teams traded points down the stretch and the Tritons took it 25-15 for a 2-0 match advantage.
 
The third set remained close to start before UC San Diego strung together a 6-2 scoring run to jump in front, 10-5. UC Riverside closed the gap to two points, 12-10, but the Tritons created separation again with a five-point scoring run to make it 19-12. UC San Diego put together another 5-0 scoring run late, including two aces by McInnes and took the final frame, 25-14. The Tritons outscored the Highlanders 11-2 to close out the contest.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• The Triton hitters were not blocked once in the contest—it's the first time UC San Diego has not allowed an opponent block in the Division I era and first time since Nov. 14, 2015 at Cal State Los Angeles.
• It was the fourth 20+ dig performance for Natalie Repetti this season.
• UC San Diego held the advantage in all statistical categories, including blocks (8-0), aces (8-3), digs (57-53), kills (36-30) and assists (35-29). The Tritons hit .276 as a team compared to .080 for UCR.
• With the win, the Tritons moved to 10-14 (5-1 in D-I) in the all-time series with UC Riverside and 2-0 in the season series.

NEXT UP
The Tritons will return home for a two-match homestand in LionTree Arena, playing host to Cal State Bakersfield on Friday, Nov. 3 and CSUN on Saturday, Nov. 4. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. 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 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.