SAN DIEGO — UC San Diego women's volleyball fell in five sets to Yale, 25-16, 20-25, 25-22, 25-27, 12-15, on Friday evening in Peterson Gym. It was the first ever meeting between the Tritons (1-10) and the Bulldogs (3-4).
 
Molly McCluskey and Maria Fernanda Afonso led the Tritons with 19 kills apiece, with McCluskey adding nine digs and four blocks. It was a career high for Afonso, who added two blocks as well. Ireland McNees recorded her second double-double with 15 kills and 11digs and Mika Rome recorded her first double-double with 55 assists and a team-high 17 digs. Mina Olgar joined McCluskey with a team-best four blocks and Paulina Baillie tallied 14 digs.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Yale jumped out to an early 4-1 lead, the Tritons responded with a five-point scoring run to pull in front, 7-5. Back-to-back kills by McCluskey and a solo block by Afonso extended UC San Diego's lead, 16-11. Late in the set, the Tritons scored seven unanswered points that included four kills by Afonso, cruising to a 25-16 first-set victory.
 
The teams traded points early in set two, knotted at 6-6 before the Bulldogs put together an 8-2 scoring run to create distance, 14-8. The Tritons continued to battle down the stretch, but Yale took the second set, 25-20.
 
The third set was tightly contested to start once again, with the teams tied at 8-all. UC San Diego put together a four-point scoring run behind two kills from McCluskey and a kill from Madison Johnson to lead, 11-8. Another run sparked by back-to-back kills from McNees helped the Tritons jump in front, 18-12. UC San Diego held off the Yale attack down the stretch to take the third set, 25-22.
 
The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle with neither team leading by more than two points. A kill by McCluskey, a block by Johnson and McCluskey and a kill by Afonso gave the Tritons a late 21-19 advantage. Yale responded with a three-point run to reach the first set point, 24-23. A kill by Olgar and an ace from Kayla Uhlick gave UC San Diego set point at 25-24. However, the Bulldogs rattled off the final three points to take the set, 27-25.
 
The teams traded points once again to open the final set, battling to a 5-4 Yale advantage. The Tritons capitalized off of Bulldog errors pull in front, 7-5, but the teams continued to trade the lead down the stretch. With the set tied 11-all, Yale scored three unanswered points sparked by a kill and service ace, eventually securing the set, 15-12.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Ireland McNees collected her second double-double and Mika Rome tallied her first.
• It was a career high in kills (19) for Maria Fernanda Afonso.
• UC San Diego had the edge in kills (69-51) and digs (66-51). Yale held the advantage in hitting percentage (.207 to .205) and blocks (15-8), and the teams were even in aces (5-5).
• The Tritons are 0-2 in five-set matches this season.
• Starters included Maria Fernanda Afonso, Paulina Baillie, Madison Johnson, Molly McCluskey, Ireland McNees, Mina Olgar and Mika Rome.

UP NEXT
The Tritons will travel across town once again to face San Diego on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
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.