DAVIS, Calif. — UC San Diego women's volleyball fell to UC Davis in a tightly contested five-set match on Thursday evening in University Credit Union Center. The Tritons (4-13, 2-3 Big West) fell to the Aggies (9-4, 5-0 Big West) by set scores of 25-21, 25-23, 17-25, 15-25 and 12-15.
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Molly McCluskey led UC San Diego with 16 points, recording 13 kills and four blocks and adding nine digs.
Maria Fernanda Afonso also finished in double-figures with 10 kills.
Mika Rome recorded a double-double with 23 assists and 13 digs, adding two aces.
Kayla Uhlick anchored the defense with 16 digs, while
Paulina Baillie finished with 10.
Mina Olgar stood out at the net, collecting six total blocks, including one solo stop, and
Jasmine Saran added three.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Davis took an early 4-0 lead in the opening set, after a pair of kills, a block and a Triton hitting error. UC San Diego found its momentum with a 6-1 scoring run, highlighted by an ace from
Paulina Baillie, a pair of kills from Olgar and McCluskey and several errors by the Aggies to pull even, 8-8. The teams kept things close, tying the set as late as 18-all before UC San Diego regained momentum. The Tritons went on a 4-1 run to lead, 22-19, and used a kill from McCluskey and block by McCluskey and Olgar to close out the opening set, 25-21.
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The Tritons carried the momentum into the second set, building an early 5-0 lead before UCD battled back to tie the set, 5-all, behind three consecutive aces. The Aggies went on a five-point scoring run to pull in front, 12-8. UC San Diego responded with a five-point swing of its own behind back-to-back kills from
Ireland McNees and an ace by McCluskey. UC Davis looked to be pulling ahead once again at 20-16, but the Tritons responded once again with six consecutive points bolstered by two aces from Rome to take the late lead. UC San Diego eventually took the second set, 25-23.
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UC Davis rallied in the third set, jumping out to an early 4-0 lead and extending the advantage to as many as eight points, 18-10. The Tritons mounted a late comeback behind kills from McCluskey and Rome to make it 21-16, but the deficit proved too much and the Aggies took the third set, 25-17.
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In the fourth set, UC Davis carried the momentum early with an 8-1 advantage. UC San Diego capitalized on Aggie errors for a 5-1 scoring run to pull within three points, 9-6. UCD rallied back to build its lead, 17-9, and never looked back, taking the fourth frame, 25-15, to force a deciding set.
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The Aggies jumped out to a 6-2 advantage to open the final set, before a pair of kills by McCluskey and Saran and a Triton block pulled UC San Diego within one, 5-6. An attack error by the Tritons and a block gave UCD its largest lead, 10-6. The teams traded points to match point for the Aggies, 14-10. UC San Diego fought off two match points before UC Davis eventually secured the comeback, 15-12.
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TRITON TIDBITS
UP NEXT
The Tritons will remain on the road to face UC Riverside on Saturday at 4 p.m. The match will not be broadcast, but 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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