SPOKANE, Wash.—UC San Diego women's volleyball took the final match of the Gonzaga Tournament on Saturday, defeating the host Gonzaga in four sets (22-25, 25-13, 25-19, 25-18). 
 
The Tritons (4-2) hit .283 as a team, while holding the Bulldogs (2-4) to a .088 hitting percentage. UC San Diego impressed on defense as well, holding the advantage in both blocks (14-10) and digs (57-43).
 
Ava McInnes led the team in kills with 15, hitting .424 with just one error. Jasmine Saran also recorded just one error, hitting a blazing .526 and matching her career high—set on Friday—with 11 kills. Zaria Henderson also reached double figures with 10 kills and Emily McDaniel chipped in eight. Lauren Brooker collected a season-high 35 assists, adding three aces and three blocks.
 
Defensively, McDaniel led the way at the net and matched her career high for the second time in the early season with 10 blocks. Dana Branavets led the team with 13 digs, while Henderson recorded her first double-double of the season with 10 digs to go along with her 10 kills.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons got off to a slow start in the opening set, falling behind 0-6. UC San Diego trailed by as many as eight points late in the set, 12-20, before putting together a late rally. The Tritons went on a 6-1 run to pull within two points, 20-22, but ultimately ran out of time with Gonzaga taking the opening set 25-22.
 
It was a different story to open the second set, with the Tritons jumping out to an early 8-1 lead behind tough two kills apiece from Henderson, McInnes and Saran. UC San Diego added to its lead with a 7-1 run later in the set to build a comfortable 16-6 lead. The Tritons hit a scorching .560 as a team and cruised to a second-set victory, 25-13, to even the match, 1-1.
 
UC San Diego carried the momentum into the third set, leading 11-4 early on, after a five-point serving run by McInnes. The Tritons added to their lead with McInnes at the service line once again for a four-point run to lead, 22-14. The Bulldogs made a late challenge, but UC San Diego took the third set 25-19. 
 
In the fourth and final set, the teams remained close to a 7-7 tie early on. A five-point scoring run with Brooker at the service line gave the Tritons some space, 12-7. Gonzaga answered with a 4-0 run of its own to pull within one point, 12-11. However, the Tritons did not relinquish the lead and outscored the Bulldogs, 13-7, down the stretch to take the final set, 25-18, and the match, 3-1.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• On her birthday, Emily McDaniel matched her career high for the third time—second this season—with 10 total blocks.
  • McDaniel was named to the all-tournament team for her weekend performance.
• Jasmine Saran matched her career high with 11 kills—set in Friday's match against Idaho (Sept. 1).
• Freshman Lauren Brooker recorded a season-best 35 assists in the contest.
• Ava McInnes recorded double-figure kills for the 12th consecutive match dating back to last season (Nov. 10, 2022).
• With the win, the Tritons move to 1-0 in the all-time series with Gonzaga.

UP NEXT
The Tritons will return to La Jolla to host the UC San Diego Invitational in LionTree Arena next weekend. UC San Diego will face crosstown foe San Diego State on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the home opener. On Friday, the Tritons will face Navy at 7 p.m. and wrap up the weekend against Denver on Saturday at 4 p.m. UC San Diego will also host three neutral matches between the other participating teams throughout the weekend.
 
All three of UC San Diego's matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available for all matches on UCSDTritons.com. Saturday's match against Denver will be Youth Day in LionTree Arena with free UC San Diego water bottles for the first 150 kids.
 
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.