RIVERSIDE, Calif. — UC San Diego women's volleyball dropped its second five-set match of the weekend, falling to UC Riverside on Saturday afternoon at SRC Arena. The Tritons (4-14, 2-4 Big West) battled with the Highlanders (6-10, 2-4 Big West) in a tightly contested match with set scores of 22-25, 29-27, 17-25, 25-17 and 12-15.
 
Jasmine Saran led the team with 15 kills and 17 points over five sets. Katie Rapp and Maria Fernanda Afonso contributed 13 kills each and Molly McCluskey added 10. Maija Nepszy facilitated the offense with 34 assists and added a service ace. Paulina Baillie contributed defensively with 22 digs and five service aces, while Ireland McNees added 13 digs and one ace. Mika Rome supported with 14 assists and one service ace in two games.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego took an early 5-3 lead in set one, but UC Riverside quickly responded to pull in front, 9-6. Midway through the set, the Tritons regained momentum with a series of points, including a service ace by Baillie that put them ahead 19-17. Despite this, UCR countered with a strong finish, taking the lead at 22-20 after a kill. The Tritons attempted to rally but ultimately conceded the set with a final score of 25-22 in favor of the Highlanders.
 
The teams traded points for most of the second set, with neither squad leading by more than two points. With the game knotted at 19-19, the Tritons were finally able to create distance with a sequence of four points that included two kills from Afonso, one from McCluskey and a service ace by Baillie. UCR leveled the score once again at 22-all and the teams traded a two-point swing down the stretch. The Tritons were finally able to close out the frame with three straight points facilitated by back-to-back kills from Saran and a Highlander hitting error to secure the set, 29-27.
 
The teams battled back-and-forth to begin the third set before UC Riverside was able to build a slight 10-6 advantage. The Tritons capitalized on UCR hitting errors to pull even at 13-13, but the Highlanders scored six unanswered points to jump back in front, 19-13.  The Tritons' late attempts to rally, including a kill by Rapp and another by Afonso, were not enough to close the gap. The set concluded with UCR securing a 25-17 victory.
 
UC San Diego opened the fourth set with a series of pivotal plays, keeping the score tight early on. Saran and Rapp each contributed key kills that helped the team level the match at 6-6, following a service error from UCR. The Tritons gained momentum with a sequence of effective kills by McNees and service aces from Baillie and Rome, establishing a 14-12 lead. UC San Diego continued to extend its advantage with a mix of strategic plays, including kills from Afonso and McNees. The set concluded with the Tritons firmly in command, finishing with a 6-1 run that included a service ace and decisive kills from McNees and McCluskey to secure the fourth set 25-17.
 
In the decisive fifth set, the Highlanders pulled ahead early 7-2, highlighted by several blocks and kills from the home team. The Tritons rallied midway with key kills from Afonso and a service ace from Stefania Alupei to spark a 5-2 scoring run to pull closer, 12-10. However, UCR maintained composure, extending the lead again to 14-11 with effective plays. Despite a late kill from Madison Johnson, the Tritons were unable to close the deficit, falling 15-12 in the final set to the Highlanders.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Eight different Tritons recorded a kill in the contest.
• UC San Diego held the advantage in aces (9-5), while UC Riverside had the edge in blocks (10-7), digs (81-73) and hitting percentage (.262 to .212).
• The Tritons are 1-5 in five-set matches this season.
• UC San Diego is now 12-15 in the all-time series and 7-2 in Division I series with UC Riverside.
• Starters included Paulina Baillie, Molly McCluskey, Maija Nepszy, Mina Olgar, Katie Rapp, Jasmine Saran and Kayla Uhlick.

UP NEXT
The Tritons will remain on the road to face Long Beach State on Thursday, Oct. 16 and play host to Hawai'i on Saturday, Oct. 18. The matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
Article partially generated by FanWord.
 
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.