LA JOLLA, Calif.— Wrapping up the season's first weekend at the UC San Diego Invitational, the UC San Diego women's volleyball team picked up a four-set victory over Gonzaga at LionTree Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Tritons have won their first three games on the schedule to begin the year perfect on their home floor.  
 
The Tritons won three of four sets on Sunday by: 20-25, 25-9, 25-19 and 25-19 scores.
 
UC San Diego improved their record to 3-0 on the season, while Gonzaga fell to 1-2 through the season's first weekend.
 
This was the second ever matchup between the Tritons and Bulldogs, as the Tritons picked up a four-set victory in Spokane on Sept. 2, 2023.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set to compete in their third match in as many days, the Tritons worked to gather their footing early in the set as Jasmine Saran delivered a key block to halt an early 4-0 Gonzaga run to start the match. Looking to get closer in the set, the Tritons were able to accumulate consecutive points thanks to a block from both Lauren Brooker and Emily McDaniel, while McDaniel also contributed a service ace to make it 21-16. Gonzaga was able to put the Tritons away a few points later to take the first set 25-20.
 
UC San Diego wasted little time to claw back into the match as they sprinted out to a 5-1 lead that was capped off by a great combined block from both Saran and Molly McCluskey. The Tritons didn't relent the rest of the set as they continued to put pressure on the Bulldogs as Ava McInnes contributed a pair of impressive kills that put UC San Diego ahead 17-6 and forced Gonzaga to use their second timeout of the set. Leveling the score at a set apiece, McCluskey and McDaniel combined for a block on a Gonzaga attack error for a 25-0 second set win.
 
Looking to build off a strong second set, the Tritons wasted little time to get in front as they posted the first three points of the set capped off by a McCluskey kill from a Brooker assist. After Gonzaga cut their deficit down to one, UC San Diego was able to regain some separation by collecting five of the next six points headlined by a McDaniel service ace to put the Tritons ahead 15-10. Working hard to stave off a late comeback attempt from Gonzaga; UC San Diego was able to put the third set away thanks to a Bulldogs' service error as they earned the 25-19 set victory.
 
Working hard to put the game away in the fourth, the Tritons received a key kill from McInnes to cut into Gonzaga's early 4-2 lead while Kylie Pries delivered a kill of her own to even the score at six-all early in the set. The rest of the fourth set was a back-and-forth affair with neither side able to gain much separation until the Tritons put together a late rally from McCluskey and Saran kills to make it 24-19 and setting up match point. The Bulldogs would go on to commit an attack error into the net as the Tritons won set four 25-19 to begin the season 3-0.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Molly McCluskey was named UC San Diego Invitational MVP, while Paulina Baillie and Emily McDaniel both earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
• Pacing the offense once again on Sunday, McInnes was tied for the team-high with 13 kills while also collecting seven digs against the Bulldogs.
• Helping to lead the charge as well up front, McCluskey also accumulated 13 kills and seven digs while ranking second on the squad with 14.5 points on the afternoon.
• Doing a little bit of everything for her team in the win, McDaniel recorded eight kills, seven digs, two blocks and six block assists to help her team defeat Gonzaga.
• With today's win, the Tritons have begun the season 3-0 for the first time in the program's Division I era.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will now head to the east coast and compete at the Kristen Dickmann Invitational next weekend. Their first match will be against tournament host Navy on Friday, Sept. 6 at 4:00 p.m. PST. Links to live video on ESPN+ and live statistics can be found on the team's website.
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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.