NASHVILLE—UC San Diego women's volleyball went 2-0 on the second day of the TSU/Belmont Tournament to finish the weekend 3-0 in in Nashville. The Tritons (8-4) closed out their nonconference schedule with a 3-0 sweep over Jackson State (3-5) in a neutral matchup and a 3-2 battle at Belmont (4-7).
 
In two matches, Ava McInnes collected 35 kills and average 4.38 per set to earn tournament MVP. Zaria Henderson was second on the team with 24 kills (3.00 per set) and Lauren Brooker added 18 (2.25 per set). Defensively, Jasmine Saran finished with nine total blocks (1.13 per set) and Natalie Repetti collected 34 digs (4.25 per set). Nevada Knowles led the Tritons with 63 assists (9.00 per set) and Henderson collected a team-high five aces.
 
UC SAN DIEGO 3, JACKSON STATE 0
The Tritons took down the Tigers in straight sets, 25-15, 25-17, 25-17 to begin their double-header day. McInnes led all scorers with 16.5 points, including a match-high 13 kills and Henderson and Brooker added nine kills apiece. Henderson led the team digs (12) and aces (4), while Repetti added 10 digs. Da Silva and McInnes led the way with five blocks apiece and Knowles collected a team-high 32 assists. 
 
UC San Diego recorded its highest hitting percentage of the season, finishing the match at .356 and hitting a blazing .429 as a team in set one. The Tritons held the advantage in aces (7-4), blocks (8-4) and digs (45). 
 
After trading the lead to open the contest, the Tritons used an 8-1 scoring run to close out the opening set. In set two it was a different story as UC San Diego led from start to finish. In the final set, the teams were knotted as late at 15-all before the Tritons outscored the Tigers 10-2 to close out the match.
 
UC SAN DIEGO 3, BELMONT 2
The Tritons earned their first five-set victory of the season and extended a four-match winning streak, defeating the Bruins 26-24, 25-14, 21-25, 17-25 and 15-10. Once again McInnes led the offense with 22 kills and a match-high 23.5 points. Henderson also collected double-figure kills with 15 and Brooker added nine. 
 
Kayla Uhlick collected a team-high three aces, Saran led the way with six blocks and Repetti collected a match-high 24 digs. Knowles recorded her first double-double of the season with 31 assists and 10 digs. 
 
UC San Diego held the slim advantage in digs (78-71) and kills (64-60), hitting .230 as a team compared to .185 for Belmont. The Bruins held the slight edge in blocks (11-10) and aces (8-7).
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Ava McInnes was named tournament MVP and Lauren Brooker and Jasmine Saran were also named to the all-tournament team.
• UC San Diego's .356 hitting percentage against Jackson State was its highest of the season and highest since Sept. 3, 2022 against Southern U (.434).
• The match against Belmont was UC San Diego's third five-set match of the season. The Tritons are 1-2 in matches that go the distance.
• It was the first meeting between UC San Diego and both Jackson State and Belmont.

UP NEXT
The Tritons will begin Big West play at home in LionTree Arena, playing host to UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 22) and Cal Poly (Sept. 23) next weekend. The matches 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 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.