LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego women's volleyball fell to CSUN in four sets on Saturday evening in LionTree Arena, with scores of 19-25, 20-25, 25-23, 20-25. The Tritons (4-18, 2-8 Big West) moved to 7-2 in the Division I series with the Matadors (13-8, 6-4 Big West).
Â
Ireland McNees led the Tritons with 14 kills and added seven digs, contributing 16 points.
Maija Nepszy facilitated the offense with 33 assists and bolstered defense with 15 digs for her third double-double.
Lucia Barroso was effective at the net, recording six total blocks.
Molly McCluskey added 12 kills and 13 digs, for her ninth double-double.
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN built an early 4-1 lead to open the first set and maintained the advantage all the way to 16-13. UC San Diego rallied with back-to-back blocks and a McNees kill, leveling the score at 16-16. Despite this effort, CSUN responded with a decisive seven-point run to stall the Tritons' momentum. The first set concluded with the Matadors leading the Tritons 25-19.
Â
UC San Diego faced an uphill battle in the second set as CSUN took an early 6-0 lead, capitalizing on a series of attack errors. The Tritons responded with a series of points, including a service ace by Johnson and a kill by Nepszy, to narrow the gap to 10-7. Despite further efforts, including kills by Barroso and
Maria Fernanda Afonso, the Tritons struggled to regain control. McCluskey's late kills contributed to the home team's rally, bringing the score to 24-20. Ultimately, the Matadors secured the set with a 25-20 win.
Â
The Tritons displayed resilience in the third set, taking control with a critical 6-2 run midway through. McCluskey's service ace and subsequent kill from Nepszy's assist set the tone, allowing UC San Diego to pull ahead 11-8. CSUN rallied to move in front, 15-13, but the Tritons scored four unanswered to retake the lead, 17-15.
Katie Rapp contributed pivotal kills, maintaining momentum against CSUN's attempts to close the gap at 21-18. The Matadors leveled the score once again at 21-21 but UC San Diego closed out the set with a block by McCluskey and Barroso and a pair of kills by McNess to take the set, 25-23.
Â
In the fourth set, the teams kept the score close early on, battling to a 14-12 CSUN advantage. The Matadors created distance with a four-point run to lead, 18-12. The Tritons fought back with effective plays from McCluskey and Barroso, narrowing the gap to 18-15 with a sequence of well-executed kills. However, CSUN capitalized on UC San Diego's errors, including service and attack missteps, to maintain the lead. Despite the Tritons' efforts to reclaim momentum, the set concluded with a 25-20 score in favor of the Matadors.
Â
TRITON TIDBITS
Â
UP NEXT
The Tritons will host UC Irvine next Friday (Oct. 31) before traveling to face Cal State Fullerton on Saturday (Nov. 1). The matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
Â
Article partially generated with FanWord.
Â
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.
Â
