LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball will return to La Jolla after a 10-match road stint, playing host to Long Beach State and Hawai'i in the Big West home opener.
 
The Tritons (7-6, 1-1 Big West) take on the Beach (8-4, 2-0 Big West) on Thursday and face the Rainbow Wahine (7-5, 1-1 Big West) on Friday. Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
The matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live statistics available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
DETAILS
Match 14
UC San Diego (7-6, 1-1) vs Long Beach State (8-4, 2-0)
Thursday, Oct. 3 | 6 p.m.
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla, Calif.
All-time series: 0-6
Last meeting: UCSD 0, LBSU 3 (Nov. 14, 2023)
Streak: L6
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
 
Match 15
UC San Diego vs Hawai'i (7-5, 1-1)
Saturday, Oct. 4 | 6 p.m.
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla, Calif.
All-time series: 0-6
Last meeting: UCSD 0, UH 3 (Nov. 17, 2023)
Streak: L6
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
 

ABOUT THE TRITONS	ABOUT LONG BEACH ST.	ABOUT HAWAI'I
Roster | Schedule | Stats	Roster | Schedule | Stats	Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 7-6	Overall: 8-4	Overall: 7-5
Big West: 1-1	Big West: 2-0	Big West: 1-1
Home: 3-0	Home: 5-1	Home: 7-2
Away: 2-4	Away: 2-1	Away: 0-3
Neutral: 2-2	Neutral: 1-2	Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-1	vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-3	vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-2
Streak: L1	Streak: W4	Streak: W1

 
WELCOME BACK TO LIONTREE
After playing the last 10 matches on the road, the Tritons will finally return to La Jolla this week along with the entire UC San Diego student body which started the fall quarter last week. Thursday is Girl Scout Night in LionTree Arena, where Girl Scouts who wear their sash or vest to the game will receive a UC San Diego Patch. Friday's match against Hawai'i is the Tritons Block Party match, welcome students back to campus and the first 750 students will receive a free t-shirt. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Tritons split the opening week of Big West play, defeating UC Riverside on the road, 3-2, and falling at UC Davis in straight sets, 3-0. For her performance, Audrey Hollis was named UCU Athlete of the Week.
 
UC San Diego 3, UC Riverside 2
Set scores: 23-25, 25-20, 25-21, 19-25, 15-8
Top performers: McInnes (21 kills, 17 digs, 3 blocks, 2 aces); Hollis (15 kills, 22 assists); Pries (14 kills); Baillie (13 digs, 3 aces); Brooker (23 assists, 16 digs, 5 blocks); 
Notables: Three Tritons recorded double-doubles in the contest. McInnes tallied a season-best 21 kills and 25 points.
 
UC San Diego 0, UC Davis 3
Set scores: 24-26, 21-25, 15-25
Top performers: McInnes (10 kills, 12 digs, 1 ace, 1 block); Pries (9 kills); McDaniel (7 kills, 2 blocks); Hollis (27 assists, 11 digs, 2 blocks); Uhlick (13 digs)
Notables: McInnes and Hollis recorded their second double-doubles of the weekend.
 
HOLLIS NAMED UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (SEPT. 30)
Freshman Audrey Hollis recorded a double-double in each of UC San Diego's matches on the opening weekend of Big West play. The Tritons' setter/opposite averaged 2.00 kills, 6.13 assists and 2.13 digs with 20.5 total points in two matches. Hollis collected a career-high 15 kills, adding 22 assists, six digs, two aces and one block against UC Riverside on Sept. 26. Against UC Davis, she finished with 27 assists, 11 digs, two blocks and one kill on Sept. 28.
 
STACKING UP AGAINST THE BIG WEST
UC San Diego ranks second in the conference in blocks (2.30 per set), service aces (1.69 per set) and opponent kills (11.77 per set) and third in opponent hitting percentage (.193).
 
Freshman opposite Molly McCluskey ranks 10th in points (3.76 per set) and ninth in kills (3.21 per set), while Ava McInnes ranks 11th in points (3.58 per set) and 12th in kills (3.00). Middles Emily McDaniel (.293) and Jasmine Saran (.262) rank 10th and 13th respectively in hitting percentage, while McCluskey ranks 14th (.255). Saran (0.96) and McDaniel (0.95 per set) also rank fourth and fifth respectively in blocks.
 
Audrey Hollis ranks seventh in assists (7.26 per set) and Lauren Brooker ranks ninth (6.09 per set). McInnes ranks eighth in service aces (0.35 per set), with libero Paulina Baillie in 10th (0.33) and Brooker in 16th (0.28). Baillie also sits in fourth with 3.78 digs per set.
 
McCLUSKEY EARNS BACK-TO-BACK WEEKLY HONORS (SEPT. 9)
For the second straight week, Molly McCluskey was named Big West Freshman of the Week on Sept. 9. The freshman opposite earned a spot on the all-tournament team at the Kristen Dickmann Invitational, hosted by Navy. It was her second all-tournament recognition in as many weeks. McCluskey paced the Tritons with 4.29 points and 3.67 kills per set, adding 1.67 digs per set. She totaled 51.5 points and 44 kills, with 20 digs, six blocks and four aces in 12 sets. 
 
FRESHMAN DUO EARN BIG WEST HONORS (SEPT. 2)
After helping the Tritons go 3-0 at the UC San Diego Invitational, libero Paulina Baillie was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week and opposite Molly McCluskey earned Freshman of the Week. The pair were also recognized on the all-tournament team, with McCluskey earning tournament MVP. 
 
Baillie averaged 4.75 digs per set—which led the Big West in the opening weekend—capping the weekend with a 23-dig performance against Gonzaga. McCluskey averaged 3.42 kills, 1.75 digs and 4.13 points per set, leading the Tritons offensively in all three matches. She posted back-to-back 14-kill marks against NAU and SUU and finished the weekend with 13 kills against the Bulldogs.
 
McINNES CHASING RECORDS
In her fourth season of competition, senior Ava McInnes has 1,354 career kills and 3,935 attack attempts. She recorded her career 1,000th career kill on Sept. 23, 2023 against Cal Poly and her 3,000th attack attempt on Oct. 6, 2023 at CSUN. McInnes moved into third all-time in career kills in the opening weekend of competition and is currently 10 shy of moving into second place. She ranks second all-time in attack attempts.
 

ALL-TIME KILLS			ALL-TIME ATTACK ATTEMPTS
1.	1,524	Danielle Dahle (2012-15)	1.	4,636	Danielle Dahle (2012-15)
2.	1,364	Rebecca Bailey (2005-08)	2.	3,935	Ava McInnes (2021-Present)
3.	1,354	Ava McInnes (2021-Present)	3.	3,336	Rebecca Bailey (2005-08)
4.	1,212	Sylvia Schmidt (2006-09)	4.	3,314	Stacy Dunsmore (2001-04)
5.	1,182	Stacy Dunsmore (2001-04)	5.	3,204	Katie Condon (2008-11)
6.	1,172	Diana Klintworth (1986-89)	6.	3,026	Diana Klintworth (1986-89)
7.	1,116	Bonnie Wilson (2002-04)	7.	2,952	Sylvia Schmidt (2006-09)
8.	1,049	Kristin Kilbourn (1981-84)	8.	2,887	Hillary Williamson (2008-11)
9.	1,025	Hillary Williamson (2008-11)
10.	1,014	Molly Wheatley (1981-84)

 
NEW TRITONS, NEW ERA
A new era begins in 2024 for UC San Diego women's volleyball with first-year head coach Melanie Greene. She will also welcome 10 newcomers to La Jolla, including three transfers and seven first-year Tritons. They will join 10 returning Tritons from a squad that finished fifth in the Big West last season, which would have qualified the Tritons for the inaugural Big West Championship had the department been eligible for postseason competition. With the NCAA's four-year reclassification period complete, all of UC San Diego's programs will be eligible for both Big West and NCAA postseason competition in 2024-25.
 
McINNES NAMED TO PRESEASON TEAM
Senior outside hitter Ava McInnes was named to the Big West Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Team. McInnes led the Big West offensively for a majority of the season in 2023, finishing second in both kills (3.69 per set) and points (4.39 per set). The Tustin, Calif. native moved into the UC San Diego record books, ranking fourth all-time in career kills (1,201) and second in attack attempts (3,468). McInnes finished the season with 373 kills, hitting .253 on the season which ranked 16th in the Big West. She finished second on the team with 31 aces and tied for 11th in the conference in service aces per set (0.31).
 
TRITON RETURNERS FEATURE FOUR ALL-CONFERENCE HONOREES
The Tritons will return 10 scholar-athletes from a season ago, highlighted by All-Big West First-Teamer, Ava McInnes. UC San Diego also returns a pair of All-Big West Honorable Mentions in Emily McDaniel and Jasmine Saran, as well as Big West All-Freshman Team member, Lauren Brooker. The senior class includes McInnes, McDaniel, Sabire Karacaova and Izabella Santa Cruz.
 
FRESH FACES
UC San Diego women's volleyball will add 10 newcomers to its roster for the 2024 season. The Tritons will welcome seven first-year scholar-athletes, including Lucia Barroso (Templeton), Paulina Baillie (Carlsbad), Katelyn Hernandez (Chula Vista), Audrey Hollis (Colorado Springs), Madison Johnson (Temecula), Molly McCluskey (Costa Mesa) and Valentina Meirelles (São Paulo, Brazil). 
 
Transfers Sinead Beaupain (San Francisco), Kylie Pries (San Juan Capistrano) and Kailee Wakatake (Honolulu) join UC San Diego after competing for UC Santa Cruz, University of San Diego and Taft College, respectively.
 
TRITONS PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH
UC San Diego women's volleyball was picked to finish fifth in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, as decided by the conference's 11 head coaches. Cal Poly was picked to finish first in with 94 points and five first-place votes, followed by Hawai'i (85 points, 3 first-place votes) and Long Beach State (83 points, 2 first-place votes) rounding out the top three. 
 
UC Santa Barbara picked up the final first-place vote with 75 points to rank fourth, followed by UC San Diego (63 points), UC Irvine (60), UC Davis (49), Cal State Bakersfield (35), CSUN (21) and Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside tied in 10th (20 points).
 
GREENE NAMED SEVENTH HEAD COACH IN PROGRAM HISTORY
On March 20, 2024, UC San Diego Director of Athletics Earl W. Edwards named Melanie Greene the new women's volleyball head coach. Greene became the seventh head coach in UC San Diego women's volleyball history. A native of San Diego, Greene brings a wealth of Division I experience, most recently as associate head coach at San Diego State. She was involved in the Aztecs' program—both as a coach and as a scholar-athlete—since 2004. 
 
A three-year letterwinner for the Aztecs, Greene came to San Diego State in 2004 after two years at Washington State where she redshirted during her freshman year. A three-year starter as an outside hitter, she averaged 3.46 kills and 2.73 digs per set while leading the team in kills and finishing among the top three in digs each season.
 
Born in San Diego while her father, Ken Greene, was a member of the San Diego Chargers, Greene later moved to Nampa, Idaho, where she attended Nampa Christian High School. As a prep athlete she won a total of 12 varsity letters in volleyball, basketball and track and field, earning all-state honors in all three sports. Greene graduated from San Diego State in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in recreation administration. She completed her master's degree in leadership and organizational studies at Azusa Pacific in 2010.
 
NEW FACES ON THE SIDELINE
Greene completed her coaching staff for the 2024 season with the addition of Rafael Asvolinsque (Pontifical Catholic University) and Kara Barkdoll Coy (Cal State San Marcos '14) as her assistant coaches. Asvolinsque joins the Tritons after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Point Loma Nazarene (2022-23) and spent the 2021 season as a volunteer assistant at the University of San Diego. Coy comes to La Jolla after a season as business operations coordinator at CSUSM (2023-24) and served as volleyball operations assistant at San Diego State (2018-23).
 
WINNING IN THE CLASSROOM
Sabire Karacaova, Emily McDaniel, Ava McInnes, Katie Rapp, Jasmine Saran and Kayla Uhlick were six of the eight women's volleyball scholar-athletes named to the Big West All-Academic team for the 2023 fall season. Saran was also named to the 2023 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team. UC San Diego women's volleyball had 12 scholar-athletes named to the Big West Commissioner's Honor Roll, including nine Tritons receiving Highest Honors with a 3.51-4.00 grade point average.
 
WELCOME TO LIONTREE ARENA
Since it was established nearly three decades ago, the University of California San Diego's RIMAC (Recreation, Intramural and Athletic Complex) Arena has been home to countless athletic competitions, graduations, concerts and other events that are imprinted on the memories of thousands of UC San Diego alumni, students, friends and visitors.
 
In June of 2022, UC San Diego announced that RIMAC Arena has been named LionTree Arena in recognition of a $5 million gift for scholar-athletes from LionTree, an independent investment and merchant bank with expertise in technology, media and the digital economy. LionTree was founded by UC San Diego alumnus Aryeh B. Bourkoff, who also serves as the firm's CEO. LionTree's gift is the largest ever received by UC San Diego Athletics, establishing the LionTree Endowed Scholarship Fund to support scholar-athletes.
 
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program has completed its four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of the Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. All sports are now eligible for both conference and NCAA postseason play.
 
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
 
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's soccer matches, men's and women's volleyball matches, baseball and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego women's volleyball, visit UCSDTritons.com/live.
 
GAME DAY GOES DIGITAL
Triton fans now have a whole new way to access game day information, as game programs have gone digital! Fans can visit UCSDTritons.com from their smart phone or scan the QR code at the entrance to LionTree Arena for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch on ESPN+.
 
COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at LionTree Arena must notify a member of the Athletics Communication staff no later than 24 hours prior to the game. Following the conclusion of each home game, a video highlight melt and video postgame interviews will be made available for media members to download.
 
GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through X and Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdwvb.
 
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!
 
GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, click here.
 
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.