SAN DIEGO — UC San Diego women's volleyball dropped a four-setter to San Diego State, 16-25, 24-26, 26-18, 18-25, on Thursday evening in Peterson Gym. With the loss, the Tritons (1-9) moved to 0-3 in the Division I series with the Aztecs (5-4).
 
Ireland McNees led UC San Diego with 18 kills on 41 attempts, recording her season-high so far with the Tritons. Molly McCluskey added 15 kills and tallied 18.5 points, adding seven digs and a team-best three aces. Mika Rome directed the attack with 43 assists while also adding six digs. Paulina Baillie collected a team-best 13 digs, while Kayla Uhlick contributed defensively with nine digs and added two service aces.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening set saw San Diego State take an early lead with a 4-1 advantage, including a service ace. The Tritons responded with a strong service game from McCluskey, who delivered back-to-back aces to tie the score at 4-4. Despite a trio of kills from McNees, the Tritons struggled to contain Taylor Underwood's offensive performance, ultimately falling 25-16 in the first set.
 
The second set began with Uhlick setting the tone for the Tritons with a service ace, but SDSU quickly responded, leading to a closely contested set. McNees led a key 4-0 run with two kills from assists by Rome and Uhlick, helping the Tritons edge ahead 8-4. However, the Aztecs battled back, tying the score at 17 and eventually overcoming the Tritons in a tense finish, 26-24.
 
The teams traded points for the early portion of the third set. A pivotal moment occurred with the Tritons leading 8-7, as Rome orchestrated a series of plays including consecutive kills from McCluskey and Maria Fernanda Afonso, creating a buffer for the visiting team. As the set progressed, McCluskey and McNees continued to dominate, with McNees clinching the final point at 25-18, to close the set decisively.
 
The fourth set began with Madison Johnson delivering a kill to give the Tritons an early 1-0 lead. Despite a back-and-forth start, the Aztecs capitalized on a few Triton errors to take a 5-3 advantage. The Tritons responded with a strong push midway through the set, highlighted by consecutive kills from McNees and a service ace from Uhlick, leveling the score at 9-9. However, the Aztecs' late surge, aided by consistent defensive plays and capitalizing on Triton attack errors, allowed them to close out the set 25-18.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Ireland McNees recorded a season-best 18 kills, hitting .341 in the contest.
• San Diego State held the advantage in hitting percentage (.369 to .264), blocks (11-6) and digs (45-41), while the teams were even in aces (7-7).
• Redshirt freshman Lucia Barroso made her first collegiate start in the contest.
• Starters included Paulina Baillie, Lucia Barroso, Madison Johnson, Molly McCluskey, Ireland McNees, Mika Rome and Kayla Uhlick.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will return to Peterson Gym on Friday for a neutral match against Yale at 4:30 p.m. The match will not be streamed 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.