FULLERTON, Calif. — UC San Diego women's volleyball defeated Cal State Fullerton in four sets at Titan Gym on Saturday, capturing the match with scores of 25-19, 19-25, 25-13, 25-20. With the win, the Tritons (5-19, 3-9 Big West) split the season series with the Titans (7-17, 2-10 Big West). UC San Diego's attack was led by a strong performance in the third set, hitting .419.
Â
Jasmine Saran led with 16 kills on a .387 hitting percentage and added three blocks, contributing to her team-high 17.5 points.
Ireland McNees posted a strong defensive showing with a season-best 22 digs, while also adding 10 kills and a service ace.
Paulina Baillie matched McNees with 22 digs.
Maija Nepszy orchestrated the offense with 41 assists, providing consistent set distribution throughout the match.
Molly McCluskey recorded 15 kills and chipped in with 11 digs and a service ace, totaling 16.5 points.
Katie Rapp chipped in 11 kills.
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego started the first set strong, utilizing a kill by McCluskey from an assist by Nepszy to take an early lead. Despite some back-and-forth exchanges with Cal State Fullerton, the Tritons maintained their edge through key plays, including a service ace by McCluskey and a kill by Saran, also assisted by Nepszy. The visitors maintained momentum and extended their lead with consistent scoring, concluding the set with a 25-19 victory.
Â
The teams traded points early in set two, battling to a 5-4 Triton advantage. The Titans then put together an 14-2 scoring run to build a commanding 18-7 lead. UC San Diego attempted a comeback, narrowing the gap to 16-21 with key contributions from Saran and McNees, each securing crucial points. The Tritons fought off three set points before the Titans managed to close the second set 25-19 in their favor.
Â
UC San Diego secured a decisive victory in the third set, propelled by a commanding start that saw them take an early 10-5 lead. Saran contributed significantly with a kill and a crucial block alongside Nepszy. Rapp further extended the Tritons' advantage with back-to-back kills to make it 15-9 at the midpoint. UC San Diego outscored the Titans 10-1 down the stretch to take the set, 25-13.
Â
The teams kept things close in the early stages of the fourth set, knotted up at 5-5. A kill by McNees, a service ace from
Marleena Catalan and a block by
Madison Johnson put the Tritons in front, 8-5. UC San Diego capitalized on CSF errors to extend its lead 17-12. Despite the Titans' efforts to close the gap, the Tritons maintained control, ending the set with a kill by Rapp to secure a 25-20 victory in the fourth set.Â
Â
TRITON TIDBITS
UP NEXT
The Tritons will extend a three-match road stint, traveling to UC Santa Barbara (Nov. 7) and Cal Poly (Nov. 8) next week. 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
