LA JOLLA, Calif.—Sophomore Molly McCluskey earned the first Big West Offensive Player of the Week honor after a record-setting performance to open the 2025 season. The Tritons' opposite set two of the program's single-match records and a new career high at the UC San Diego Invitational to earn a spot on the all-tournament team.
 
It is the fourth Big West weekly honor for McCluskey and first Offensive nod of her career after earning Freshman of the Week three times in 2024. It is the 20th conference weekly award for the Tritons since joining the Big West in 2021 and first offensive player award since 2023.
 
McCluskey recorded back-to-back double-doubles to start the year with 16 kills and 11 digs against Eastern Washington and 11 kills and 10 digs the following night versus New Mexico State. She set the program Division I single match record for hitting percentage, terminating at a .682 clip with 16 kills on 22 swings and just one error in the opening night victory over the Eagles.
 
McCluskey set another program record with 33.0 total points on Sunday against Northwestern, recording a career high 29 kills, adding two aces and four blocks. She also finished the four-set match two kills shy of the program's all-time single match record.
 
For the weekend, she averaged a staggering 5.82 points, 5.09 kills and 2.64 digs in three matches. 
 
PAST WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Molly McCluskey, Offensive (Sept. 1, 2025)
Audrey Hollis, Setter (Nov. 11, 2024)
Paulina Baillie, Defensive (Nov. 11, 2024)
Paulina Baillie, Defensive (Nov. 4, 2024)
Molly McCluskey, Freshman (Nov. 4, 2024)
Audrey Hollis, Setter (Oct. 21, 2024)
Paulina Baillie, Freshman (Oct. 21, 2024)
Molly McCluskey, Freshman (Sept. 9, 2024)
Paulina Baillie, Defensive (Sept. 2, 2024)
Molly McCluskey, Freshman (Sept. 2, 2024)
Jasmine Saran, Defensive (Nov. 6, 2023)
Lauren Brooker, Freshman (Oct. 23, 2023)
Jasmine Saran, Defensive (Oct. 23, 2023) 
Ava McInnes, Offensive (Sept. 18, 2023)
Lauren Brooker, Freshman (Sept. 18, 2023)
Emily McDaniel, Defensive (Aug. 28, 2023)
Lauren Brooker, Freshman (Aug. 28, 2023)
Ava McInnes, Offensive (Oct. 17, 2022)
Emily McDaniel, Freshman (Oct. 18, 2021)
Naya Dong, Defensive (Sept. 13, 2021)
 
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.