IRVINE, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball defeated UC Irvine, 3-1, on Friday evening in the Bren Events Center.
The Tritons (15-9, 9-4 Big West) moved into a tie for second place in the Big West after knocking off the Anteaters (14-10, 8-5 Big West) by set scores of 18-25, 25-22, 25-20 and 25-20.
All five Triton hitters recorded double-figure kills, led by
Ava McInnes with 14 kills and a .294 hitting percentage.
Kylie Pries finished just behind her with 13 kills and 13 digs for her third double-double of the season.
Emily McDaniel tallied 11 kills, while
Molly McCluskey and
Jasmine Saran added 10 apiece.
Audrey Hollis collected 48 assists and 12 digs for her eighth double-double of the year and directed the offense to a .231 hitting percentage.
Paulina Baillie recorded a match-high 22 digs and McCluskey added nine for the Tritons. Saran led the defensive effort at the net with eight blocks, while Hollis, McInnes and Pries all added four.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Irvine took an early, 7-4, lead in set one before the Tritons rattled off five points in a row to jump in front, 9-7. The teams remained close throughout the set, battling to a 17-16 UC San Diego advantage. The Anteaters then outscored the Tritons, 9-1, to close out the frame and take the opening set, 25-18.
UC Irvine carried the momentum into the second set, building an early 6-1 lead. The Tritons scored five unanswered to pull even before UCI built its lead back to three, 12-9. Tough serving by Hollis sparked a five-point run for the Tritons to make it 14-12, UC San Diego. The teams traded the lead all the way to 22-all before the Tritons closed out the set with two blocks from Saran/Pries and a Hollis ace to take the set, 25-22, and even the match.
It was another tight battle in set three, with the teams trading point to a 13-13 tie midway through the frame. The Anteaters put together a 5-1 scoring run to create distance at 18-15, but once again the Tritons outscored UCI 10-2 down the stretch to take the set, 25-20, and lead the match, 2-1.
In the final frame, UC Irvine held the early advantage 8-6 before the Tritons found their rhythm. UC San Diego tallied four blocks to highlight a 9-1 scoring run to make it, 15-9 at the midpoint. The Anteaters put together a four-point run of their own before the Tritons responded with back-to-back kills by Saran and McInnes to lead, 17-13. UC Irvine rallied to within two points, 22-20, but a kill by Saran and back-to-back kills by Pries closed out the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1, for the Tritons.
TRITON TIDBITS
- With the win, UC San Diego is now tied for second place in the Big West with a 9-4 record. The Tritons matched Cal Poly and Hawai'i to trail just behind first place UC Davis at 10-3.
- Kylie Pries recorded her third double-double and Audrey Hollis tallied her eighth.
- The Tritons held the advantage in kills (61-49), digs (63-52) and aces (5-4) and the teams were even in blocks (14-14).
- UC San Diego is now 7-2 in four-set matches this season.
- With the win, the Tritons improve to 3-8 in the all-time series with UC Irvine, (3-4 in Division I and sweep the season series for the first time.
- UC San Diego starters were Kylie Pries, Molly McCluskey, Paulina Baillie, Audrey Hollis, Jasmine Saran, Emily McDaniel and Iris Canko.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will remain on the road to face Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 4 p.m. 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.
