HONOLULU — UC San Diego women's volleyball fell to Hawai'i (12-16, 8-9 Big West) in four sets on Tuesday night at Stan Sheriff Center, with final set scores of 18-25, 20-25, 25-18, and 15-25. The Tritons (6-24, 4-14 Big West) recorded 10 service aces and 9.5 total blocks in their final match of the 2025 season.
Maria Fernanda Afonso led UC San Diego with 13 kills on 34 attempts, finishing with a hitting percentage of .324. Senior libero
Kayla Uhlick was instrumental on defense, recording 19 digs in her final match.
Mika Rome tallied 22 assists and six digs, while
Marleena Catalan contributed significantly to the team's setup with nine assists and added nine digs and three service aces. Senior
Katie Rapp was a key presence at the net, tallying six total blocks in the game and senior
Jasmine Saran chipped in four.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set began with UC San Diego establishing early momentum, taking a 4-0 lead, highlighted by an
Ireland McNees service ace and kills from Saran and
Molly McCluskey. Despite UH's attempts to close the gap, the Tritons maintained the edge through strategic plays including a block by
Lucia Barroso and
Katie Rapp, keeping the score tight. However, as the set progressed, the Rainbow Wahine capitalized on a series of errors by UC San Diego, including a pivotal service ace, which contributed to a decisive run towards the end. The set concluded with Hawai'i securing a 25-18 victory over the Tritons.
UC San Diego faced a challenging second set against Hawai'i, initially falling behind as the Rainbow Wahine capitalized on a series of Tritons' attack errors to lead 10-3. McCluskey and Afonso contributed key kills, tightening the gap midway through the set. A significant momentum shift occurred when Catalan delivered consecutive service aces, sparking a rally that brought UC San Diego even with UH, 18-18. Despite this push, Hawai'i managed to regain control, securing a few crucial points to eventually close the set at 25-20.
The Tritons seized control in the third set with a pivotal sequence starting at 13-13, fueled by McNees's two consecutive service aces, pushing the score to 18-15. Rapp and Afonso contributed key kills, further establishing the Tritons' advantage. Despite Hawai'i's attempts to stay close, UC San Diego maintained its momentum, closing the set with four consecutive points capped with a service ace from
Stefania Alupei to secure a 25-18 win.
UC San Diego started the fourth set strongly with Afonso executing a kill assisted by Rome, followed by a service ace, giving the Tritons an early 2-0 lead. However, Hawai'i responded with a series of points, capitalizing on Triton errors to pull in front. Afonso and McNees each secured critical kills to tie the score at various points, but the Bows' consistent attacks created a gap. Despite efforts from the Tritons, including a block by Saran and Rapp, Hawai'i extended its lead, 10-5. UC San Diego managed to narrow the gap with additional kills from Afonso and McNees, reaching a score of 22-13, but the comeback was stalled by Triton hitting errors. The set concluded with UC San Diego falling to Hawai'i 25-15.
TRITON TIDBITS
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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.
