ANNAPOLIS, Md.—UC San Diego women's volleyball dropped its first contest of the season, falling, 3-2, to Liberty on the season day of the Kristen Dickmann Invitational.
The Tritons (4-1) fell to the Flames (3-2) in five sets, 25-21, 21-25, 20-25, 25-22, 10-15 in Wesley A. Brown Field House.
Molly McCluskey recorded a match-high 18 kills, hitting at a .417 clip and adding two aces and two blocks for 21 points.
Ava McInnes collected 13 kills and
Jasmine Saran added 12, hitting .455.
Lauren Brooker collected 23 assists, while
Audrey Hollis chipped in 17.
Defensively, Saran led the way with five blocks, while
Emily McDaniel added four and
Valentina Meirelles chipped in three.
Paulina Baillie collected 19 digs, with McInnes adding six and McCluskey recording five.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons jumped out to a commanding, 14-7, lead in the opening set behind a five-point serving run by Brooker. UC San Diego maintained a seven-point advantage late into the frame before the Flames closed to within two, 23-21. A McCluskey kills and a block by McCluskey and Saran closed out the set, 25-21.
The teams traded points for the majority of the second set, with neither leading by more than two points to a 21-21 tie. Liberty was able to create distance late, scoring the final four points to take the set, 25-21.
After the Tritons took an early lead in set three, Liberty used a five-point scoring run to jump in front, 11-9. The Flames continued to build on their advantage to a 19-14 lead before UC San Diego closed the gap. The Tritons pulled within two, 18-20, but the Flames closed out the set, 25-20, to lead in the match, 2-1.
UC San Diego took an early 5-1 lead in set two and extended its lead to 9-4. Liberty responded with a 8-1 scoring run to jump in front, 12-10. The Flames extended their lead to 18-14, before the Tritons rallied on a six-point run sparked by two kills from McCluskey and a McInnes ace to retake the lead 20-18. The teams battled to 22-all before back-to-back kills by McDaniel and a solo block by Hollis closed out the set, 25-22.
In the final set, it was all Liberty to start, jumping out to an 8-4 lead. The Tritons continued to battle down the stretch, but the deficit proved too much as the Flames took the deciding set, 15-10, and the match, 3-2.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Freshman Molly McCluskey has recorded double-figure kills in all five matches this season, recording a new season high (18) on Saturday.
- Graduate transfer Sinead Beaupain made her Triton debut in the contest.
- With the loss, the Tritons are now 0-2 in the all-time series with Liberty.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will remain in Annapolis for the final match of the Kristen Dickmann Invitational, taking on Cornell in a neutral contest on Sunday at 10 a.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.
