ANNAPOLIS, Md.—UC San Diego women's volleyball continued its hot start to the season with a 3-0 sweep of Navy to begin the Kristen Dickmann Invitational.
The Tritons (4-0) defeated the Midshipmen (0-5) in straight sets, 25-18, 25-19, 25-18 in Wesley A. Brown Field House.
Ava McInnes led all players with a match-high 12 kills, hitting at an impressive .417 clip with just two errors on 24 swings and adding nine digs.
Molly McCluskey also reached double-figure kills for the fourth consecutive match to start her young career, adding 10 kills, six digs and a match-high four blocks.
Jasmine Saran matched McCluskey with four blocks, while
Paulina Baillie led the Tritons in the back court with 12 digs.
Lauren Brooker collected 37 assists, directing the offense to a .373 team hitting percentage.
Sabire Karacaova tallied three aces, while Brooker added two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a tight battle to begin the contest, with the teams trading points all the way to an 18-18 tie in the opening set. Behind the tough serving of Brooker, the Tritons then went on a seven-point run to close out the opening frame, 25-18.
Brooker picked up right where she left off in set two, serving a 6-0 run to open the frame for UC San Diego. Navy continued to battle before a three-point run sparked by tough serves from Karacaova gave the Tritons a 13-6 advantage. UC San Diego extended its advantage to as many as eight before the Midshipmen rallied late with a 5-1 run to make it 23-19. After a service error, Saran notched a solo block to close out the set, 25-19, and give the Tritons a 2-0 lead in the match.
In the third set, the teams remained close once again before Navy scored four unanswered to lead 10-8. The Tritons answered with a four-point run of their own behind a McCluskey serving run to retake the lead, 14-12. A kill by
Kylie Pries and three consecutive aces by Karacaova gave UC San Diego control of the set, 18-13. Pries closed out the match with an overpass kill to take the set, 25-18, and the match, 3-0.
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego's 4-0 start is the best for the Tritons in the Division I era.
- Freshman Molly McCluskey has recorded double-figure kills in all four matches this season.
- Ava McInnes' .417 hitting percentage is her best since Oct. 28, 2023 at UC Riverside (.450).
- With the win, the Tritons are now 1-1 in the all-time series with Navy.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will remain in Annapolis for the second match of the Kristen Dickmann Invitational, taking on Liberty in a neutral contest on Saturday at 12 p.m. PT. There will be no live broadcast. 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.
