SAN DIEGO — UC San Diego women's volleyball edged San Diego in a five-set thriller on Saturday evening in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. It was the first Division I meeting between the Tritons (2-10) and the Toreros (7-4) with the visitors claiming victory with set scores of 25-22, 25-21, 17-25, 25-27, 16-14.
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Ireland McNees contributed 16 kills and 15 digs, tallying 19 total points and
Molly McCluskey finished with 14 kills, 12 digs and three service aces including match point, amassing 19 points.
Maria Fernanda Afonso posted a team-high 18 kills and recorded 20.5 points overall.
Mika Rome led the Tritons with 50 assists and added six digs.Â
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Defensively,
Mina Olgar collected six blocks, while
Madison Johnson added five and Afonso, McCluskey and McNees each contributed four. In the back court,
Kayla Uhlick added nine digs and
Paulina Baillie finished with eight.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set began with a back-and-forth exchange, but UC San Diego found momentum at the 10-11 mark with a series of five consecutive points, including a key kill by Afonso. McCluskey led the charge with crucial contributions, delivering multiple kills and a service ace to press the advantage, 16-12. The Toreros responded with a five-point scoring run to pull in front 17-16. McNees recorded three consecutive kills late to put the Tritons ahead, 21-20 before McCluskey and Olgar sealed the set with back-to-back blocks, clinching a 25-22 victory for the Tritons.
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USD jumped out to an early, 7-3, advantage to open the second set. UC San Diego trailed by as many as five before rallying midway through the frame. The Tritons put together a 5-2 scoring run behind a kill and an ace from McCluskey and a pair of kills from Afonso as well as a block to pull even at 13-all. The teams continued to battle late before the momentum shifted in favor of the Tritons once again, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Afonso and a block by Rome and Johnson. The Tritons claimed the second set victory, 25-21, capped by a kill from Afonso to secure the set.
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The third set opened with a balanced exchange of points, highlighted by early kills from Johnson and Olgar. Despite the Tritons' efforts, including blocks from Afonso and McNees, San Diego's offensive momentum carried them in front, 17-9. The Tritons saw a late surge, closing the gap with contributions from Olgar and Afonso, but USD ultimately secured the set 25-17.
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UC San Diego surged in the fourth set with a strong performance from McNees, who contributed a kill, a solo block and a block assist to give the Tritons an 11-5 lead. A pair of kills from McNees and an ace by Olgar extended the lead to 20-15. Despite Afonso's efforts with multiple kills, USD rallied to tie the game at 24-24, and ultimately took the set 27-25 after a late series of exchanges.
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The fifth set was a similar back-and-forth battle before the Toreros created distance, 8-5. The Tritons showcased resilience, leveling the score at 8-8 with critical plays by McNees and Johnson. As the set progressed, the Tritons capitalized on several attack errors by USD and key blocks by Olgar and Afonso, ultimately sealing a 16-14 victory with a decisive service ace from McCluskey.
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TRITON TIDBITS
UP NEXT
The Tritons will begin Big West play next week, playing host to Cal State Fullerton on Friday at 6 p.m. and traveling to face UC Irvine on Saturday at 5 p.m. The matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
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Article partially generated with FanWord.
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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.
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