LA JOLLA, Calif. – Kicking off the start of Big West women's volleyball season, UC San Diego (8-5, 0-1 Big West) dropped their conference opener to UC Santa Barbara (11-2, 1-0 Big West) in three sets on Friday night at LionTree Arena.

Ava McInnes led the way for her team in the conference opener as she recorded a team-high nine kills and eight digs against the Gauchos. Zaria Henderson and Jasmine Saran also helped contribute to the UC San Diego attack with seven and six kills respectively, as Saran also posted a team-high three block assists. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set in La Jolla saw the visiting Gauchos take an early 15-12 advantage with each side trading points with very little separation to be found. Trailing 23-17 late in the first set, the Tritons were able to rattle off three consecutive points to get back within striking distance courtesy of a McInnes' kill and a pair of UC Santa Barbara attack errors. Regaining their footing in the set, the Gauchos claimed the first set by a 25-20 score.
 
Looking to build upon their first set advantage, UC Santa Barbara was able to secure an early 13-9 lead before the Tritons called their first timeout of the set. Working hard to help her team get back into the match, Saran delivered a decisive kill to get UC San Diego back within seven before the Gauchos took a 2-0 lead in the match by winning the second set 25-15.
 
As the visiting Gauchos sought the sweep, UC San Diego didn't let up easily as each side traded points throughout the final set. The Tritons kept battling hard throughout the see-saw affair cutting their deficit down to 24-23 following a UC Santa Barbara attack error. The Gauchos then were able to deliver the decisive match point on a kill to secure the 25-23 victory in straight sets. 
 
TRITONS TIDBITS

• Tonight's attendance was 993 strong inside LionTree Arena, the highest attended match of the fall season so far for the Tritons. 
• Freshman defensive specialist Iris Canko made her collegiate debut, playing in one set on Friday night.
• With tonight's loss, UC San Diego now moves to 0-8 all-time against UC Santa Barbara. 

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will be back on their home floor Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. as they welcome Cal Poly (6-6, 0-0) to LionTree Arena to wrap up the weekend. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live statistics 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.