LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball faced off against Utah Valley in a Big West showdown Saturday night in LionTree Arena. The Tritons (8-9, 4-2 Big West) swept the Wolverines (4-14, 2-4 Big West) 25-18, 25-13, 25-15. UC San Diego recorded 45 kills to Utah Valley's 29, with a .420 hitting percentage to UVU's .115. The Tritons outdug the Wolverines 42 to 26, as well as an advantage in aces 5-2.
Gia Rivera led the Tritons with 13 kills, while
Molly McCluskey added 11 and
Ireland McNees finished with nine.
Lucia Barroso led the team with three blocks and
Brynne McGhie added two, also leading the team with 21 assists.
Dillyn Griffin and
Paulina Baillie each had nine digs and McNees chipped in seven.
Hayden Shanafelt and McCluskey each recorded two service aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set started strong for Utah Valley, taking a 7-3 lead after a three-point run. The Tritons proceeded to take the momentum, evening the score at 7-7 and adding three more to the run to lead, 10-7. The Tritons continued to advance their lead, a 3-0 run to take a four-point lead, 14-10. UC San Diego relied on an even attack early, with four kills from McNees, four kills from Rivera, and six kills from McCluskey. The Wolverines drew near, making it a two-point game, 19-17, but the Tritons kept their foot on the gas. Timeouts at 20-17 and 23-18 by UVU attempted to change the tide but proved to be unsuccessful. The Tritons won the set on a kill by Barroso, 25-18.
The second set began with a 5-0 run by the Tritons to force an early timeout by Utah Valley at 6-2 Tritons. On the run, McNees and Baillie each recorded remarkable digs, leaving the UVU fans convinced the ball hit the ground. The Wolverines attempted to draw near, but a Triton 6-0 run with a key block by Barroso and McCluskey led to Utah Valley's final timeout of the set, at 13-5. The Tritons took over mid-set, holding a 10-point lead, to their largest at 14, 24-10. UVU put together a 3-0 run, but the Tritons prevailed, winning the second set 25-13 on a kill by Rivera.
The third set slated for more Triton dominance. An early 4-0 run forced a UVU timeout at 8-3. The set was defined by quality digs from the Tritons. With sharp play, the Tritons continued to advance their lead, leading by as much as 11. A five-point run by UVU made it closer, only for a Triton timeout at 20-14 to settle them back in. A three-point run pushed the lead to 23-14. UC San Diego won the set on a kill by
Kylie Parker to win the match, 25-15.
QUOTABLES
It was Breast Cancer Awareness Night at LionTree Arena. Before the game,
Gia Rivera honored her mother's ongoing fight against breast cancer, delivering a ceremonial first serve. Rivera on playing for her mom: "It's everything, she's my why, she's my reason. Tonight was special for her and I'm glad I was able to do everything I could to honor her."
Volleyball has played a vital role in the Rivera family during this time: "Volleyball has been running in the family since my sister was playing. This has always been something my parents have enjoyed watching and it's their fun thing to watch just as much as it is fun for me to play."
The true freshman led the Tritons in kills, continuing her growth on the team. Rivera commented on her progress: "I was dealing with an injury, coming back from that and persevering is something I've never dealt with. Changing your mindset, not every day is going to be your best day and you have to earn it every single game, keep going is my biggest thing."
The Tritons were able to affect a few serves with the vocal support of the bench. Coach McLachlin on the help: "We talk about 'Benergy,' and I tell the players, there's energy on the court and they have to bring it to the bench, and there's energy on the bench they have to bring to the court. I give them freedom and ownership, our Benergy captains are Hayden [Shanafelt] and Jaedyn [Houston]."
Coach McLachlin on the team's successes in the match, especially in the digging department: "I think the first half of that first set was back-and-forth, the keys to the match were to trust their training and trust their systems, and it looked like they really started to. Digging has been a strength to us, trusting our systems and being disciplined on defense.
Kat Chen is our back row defensive coordinator, she's amazing, and she prepares our backrow defense really well."
Lucia Barroso on the quick turnaround: "I think last night even though we played bad, we are all very hungry and we knew that the hunger had to translate onto the court, and we had to take the moment."
Midway through the season, Coach McLachlin looks to the higher ranked opponents, whom they have played tough and look to make good on the outcomes: "I know they're coming, the team believes and that's what I'm looking forward to."
TRITON TIDBITS
- This was the first ever matchup between UC San Diego and Utah Valley.
- For the second consecutive match, true freshman Gia Rivera led the offense with 13 kills after recording 18 the previous night.
- UC San Diego recorded 45 kills to Utah Valley's 29, with a .420 hitting percentage to UVU's .115.
- The Tritons are 4-0 in three set matches on the season.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will travel to face CSUN on Friday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. and Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday at 5 p.m. Both matches 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.
