LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball defeated Cal State Fullerton, 3-1, on Friday evening in LionTree Arena for the Tritons' third consecutive Big West victory.
The Tritons (10-8, 4-3 Big West) won in four sets for the third consecutive match, defeating the Titans (4-13, 0-7 Big West) by set scores of 25-22, 23-25, 25-19 and 25-17.
Emily McDaniel collected a match-high 13 kills, adding eight blocks in the contest.
Ava McInnes tallied 12 kills, while
Kylie Pries finished with a double-double, collecting 11 kills and 12 digs. Additionally, Pries and
Jasmine Saran both collected four blocks.
Paulina Baillie recorded a match-high 15 digs and three aces, while
Iris Canko finished with 11 digs in the contest.
Audrey Hollis finished the night with 43 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Titans took an early 8-4 lead in set one before UC San Diego put together an 8-1 scoring run to pull in front. The teams battled all the way to a 19-19 tie before CSUF pulled in front 21-19. However, the Tritons outscored Fullerton, 6-1, down the stretch, highlighted by back-to-back aces from Baillie to take the opening set, 25-22.
The second set saw CSUF jump in front 8-4 once again and the Titans maintained a four-point advantage midway through the set. UC San Diego then put together a 4-0 run to pull even 15-all. Fullerton built its lead back to five at 24-19, but the Tritons held off four set points behind tough serving from
Reagan McWhinney. The comeback came up just short, however, as the Titans took the second set, 25-23.
The teams kept things close to begin the third set, battling to a 14-14 tie. UC San Diego then went on a 6-1 scoring run to create distance, 20-15. The Tritons closed out the set with a kill from Saran and back-to-back blocks by Pries/McDaniel and McCluskey/McDaniel to take the set, 25-19, and lead the match, 2-1.
In the final frame, Cal State Fullerton jumped out to a 4-0 advantage before the Tritons responded with six consecutive points with Saran at the service line to take the lead. UC San Diego continued to add to its advantage, leading, 16-9, midway through the set. The Tritons closed out the frame with a 5-1 scoring run to take the set, 25-17, and the match, 3-1.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Emily McDaniel recorded a season-best eight blocks in the contest.
- Kylie Pries recorded her first double-double of the season and finished with season-highs in digs (12) and blocks (4).
- Iris Canko collected a career-high 11 digs in the contest and her second double-figure defensive effort of the season.
- The Tritons held the advantage in blocks (14-12), kills (55-39), aces (6-2) and digs (52-48).
- The Triton defense held CSUF to a .062 hitting percentage—the lowest hitting percentage for a UC San Diego opponent this season.
- UC San Diego is 5-1 in four-set matches this season.
- With the win, the Tritons are 6-0 in the all-time series with Cal State Fullerton.
- UC San Diego starters were Kylie Pries, Molly McCluskey, Paulina Baillie, Audrey Hollis, Jasmine Saran, Emily McDaniel and Iris Canko.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will play host to UC Irvine on Saturday at 6 p.m. in LionTree Arena. The match 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.
