LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego women's volleyball came two points shy of a reverse sweep of (RV) UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night at LionTree Arena. After dropping the first two sets, the Tritons (4-12, 2-2 Big West) battled back to force a deciding fifth set with Gauchos (11-5, 3-1 Big West) before eventually falling in five. Final set scores were 12-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-16, 14-16.
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Molly McCluskey led UC San Diego with 21 kills and four service aces, contributing a total of 25.5 points.
Jasmine Saran added 10 kills and two service aces while also recording two solo blocks.
Maija Nepszy was pivotal in setting up plays, recording 31 assists off the bench.
Iris Canko made an impact from the service line, tallying four aces without any service errors. McCluskey tied
Kayla Uhlick for the team lead with 13 digs, recording her seventh double-double of the season.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
After UCSB took an early 7-3 lead in set one, the Tritons rattled off four straight points including kills from Afonso, McCluskey and Olgar to pull even 7-all. The teams traded points to a 10-9 Triton advantage before the Gauchos put together a 12-1 scoring run to put the set out of the reach. UCSB went on to take the first set, 25-12.
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The second set remained tightly contested, with the teams battling to a 9-9 tie. A kill from McCluskey and back-to-back aces by
Iris Canko put the Tritons in front 12-9. UC San Diego maintained a three-point advantage before the Gauchos put together a 4-0 scoring run to take the lead, 18-17. The teams remained knotted as late as 20-20 before UCSB closed out the set with a 5-1 run to win, 25-21.
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The third set remained close, with neither team pulling in front by more than three points. UCSB held a 15-13 advantage midway through the set before the Tritons strung together four straight points to lead, 17-15. McCluskey recorded back-to-back kills, followed by a kill from
Mina Olgar and combined block with McCluskey and Olgar to put UC San Diego in front, 22-17. The set ended with back-to-back kills by Saran to secure the 25-20 set victory for the Tritons.
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UC San Diego carried the momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to a 9-3 advantage behind two aces from McCluskey and a pair of kills for
Katie Rapp. The Tritons extended their lead, 16-8, halfway through the set with a four-point scoring run with two kills from McCluskey and a timely ace from
Paulina Baillie. UC San Diego carried the momentum down the stretch, outscoring the Gauchos 7-3 to close out the set, 25-15.
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The teams traded points early in the deciding set, before UCSB pulled in front 8-5. Two consecutive aces by Saran highlighted a four-point swing to give the Tritons the slight edge, 9-8. The teams remained knotted at 13-all before a kill gave UCSB the first match point, 14-13. A kill by McCluskey pulled the teams even again at 14-14 before a Gaucho kill and a Triton attack error ended the match, 16-14, in favor of the visitors.Â
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TRITON TIDBITS
UP NEXT
The Tritons will travel for a pair of Big West matches on the road, facing UC Davis on Oct. 9 and taking on UC Riverside on Oct. 11. The matches 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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