BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — UC San Diego women's volleyball fell to Cal State Bakersfield in four sets, 24-26, 25-17, 18-25, 16-25, on Thursday evening in the Icardo Center. The Tritons (4-17, 2-7 Big West) moved to 6-3 in the Division I series with the Roadrunners (5-16, 2-7 Big West).
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Molly McCluskey led the Tritons with 16 kills and 12 digs for her eighth double-double of the season, while
Ireland McNees added 12 kills and 11 digs for her fourth double-double.
Maija Nepszy also recorded a double-double—her second—with 36 assists and 12 digs, while
Jasmine Saran tallied eight kills, five blocks and one ace.
Lucia Barroso tied Saran for the team lead with five blocks and
Paulina Baillie collected a team-best 13 digs.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Bakersfield used an early six-point scoring run to lead, 8-3, in the opening set. Midway through the frame, a McCluskey kill sparked a 5-1 scoring run for the Tritons that included a block by Saran and Afonso, a kill by Saran and an ace by McNees to pull even 15-15. The Roadrunners stalled the comeback with a three-point run of their own to make it 18-15. The Tritons continued to battle, and McNees put down three straight kills to pull UC San Diego even once again at 23-all. The teams traded points before back-to-back kills ended the set in favor of CSUB, 26-24.
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The second set saw the Tritons take the early, 7-4, lead behind two straight kills from McNees and an ace by McCluskey. The Roadrunners answered to pull even at 7-all and the teams remained close to 11-10 in favor of the visitor. Kills by McNees and McClusky, a block by McNees and Barroso and an ace by
Kayla Uhlick put UC San Diego in front, 15-10 at the midpoint. Another four-point run put the Tritons comfortably in front 19-12 and they never looked back, cruising to the 25-17 second set victory.
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The teams traded points to an 11-11 tie to begin set three before the Roadrunners put together a 5-1 scoring run to build the first lead of the set, 16-12. Bakersfield extended its advantage with another late 5-1 run to lead, 22-15. The Tritons tried to spark a comeback with back-to-back kills from McCluskey and McNees to make it 22-17, but CSUB responded with two consecutive kills of their own. The Roadrunners eventually took the second set, 25-18, utilizing their highest hitting percentage of the match .324.Â
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The teams kept things close once again to start the fourth set, with Bakersfield holding an early, 10-8, lead. The Roadrunners used three straight kills to create separation midway through the set, 13-8. Another four-point run by CSUB extended the advantage, 17-9. The Tritons continued to fight late in the match, but the deficit proved too much and Cal State Bakersfield took the set, 25-16, and the match, 3-1.
TRITON TIDBITS
UP NEXT
The Tritons will return home to host CSUN on Saturday at 6 p.m. in LionTree Arena. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
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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.
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