SPOKANE, Wash.—UC San Diego women's volleyball went 1-1 to open the first day of competition at the Gonzaga Tournament. The Tritons (3-2) narrowly missed a reverse sweep against Air Force (3-1), before falling in their second consecutive five-setter. In the afternoon, UC San Diego bounced back to earn its first sweep of the season, defeating Idaho (1-3) in straight sets.
Ava McInnes led the Tritons with 31 total kills (3.88 k/s) in two matches, while
Jasmine Saran added 20 kills (2.50 k/s) and led the team in blocks with seven (0.88 b/s).
Emily McDaniel finished with 17 kills (2.13 k/s) and freshman
Reagan McWhinney chipped in 13 (1.86 k/s) in her collegiate debut. McInnes also led UC San Diego with 20 digs (2.50 d/s) and
Dana Branavets finished with 19 (2.38 d/s).
UC SAN DIEGO 2, AIR FORCE 3
The Tritons battled in another tough five-setter, falling to the Falcons 19-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19, 12-15. McInnes recorded her first 20-kill match of the season to lead UC San Diego offensively, adding a team-high 13 digs for her first double-double of the year. McInnes also added four aces and three blocks to record a match-high 25.5 points.
Emily McDaniel finished with 12 kills and three blocks, while
Jasmine Saran tallied nine kills and a team-high six blocks.
Nevada Knowles collected 37 assists, eight digs and two aces in the contest as well.
After a slow start offensively, hitting .034 as a team in the opening set, the Tritons found their rhythm and hit .209 as a team in the match. The teams were evenly matched in most statistical categories with Air Force holding the slight edge in blocks, 12-10, and UC San Diego having the advantage in aces, 10-9.
The Falcons jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the deciding set, but the Tritons would not give up easily. UC San Diego pulled within two points as late as 12-14 before Air Force closed out the set with a kill and clinched the match, 3-2.
UC SAN DIEGO 3, IDAHO 0
In the second match of the day, the Tritons took all three sets over the Vandals, 25-21, 25-14, 25-17. Saran recorded a career-best 11 kills and McInnes matched her with 11 kills for her second double-figure performance of the day. Knowles finished just shy of a double-double with 33 assists and nine digs. Defensively, McDaniel and
Lauren Brooker led the way at the net with three blocks apiece and
Dana Branavets led the way in the back court with 12 digs.
The Tritons were efficient on offense, recording a .333 team hitting percentage compared to .120 for the Vandals. UC San Diego held the advantage in all statistical categories, including aces (6-3), blocks (5-4), digs (38-33) and assists (43-28).
After trailing, 5-6, in the opening set, the Tritons did not fall behind again for the remainder of the contest. UC San Diego led sets two and three from start to finish, closing out the final frame by outscoring Idaho, 10-5.
TRITON TIDBITS
- With her 20 kills against Air Force and 11 against Idaho, Ava McInnes has recorded double-figure kills in 11 consecutive matches dating back to last season (Nov. 10, 2022).
- Jasmine Saran recorded a career-high 11 kills against Idaho.
- The opener against Air Force was the second consecutive five-set loss for the Tritons.
- The Tritons are now 2-4 in the all-time series (1-1 in D-I) with Air Force and 1-0 against Idaho.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will remain in Spokane for day two of the Gonzaga Tournament. The Tritons will take on the host, Gonzaga, on Saturday at 6 p.m. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available on 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.
