NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball defeated CSUN, 3-1, on Friday evening in Premier America Credit Union Arena. The Tritons (9-9, 5-2 Big West) topped the Matadors (8-9, 4-3 Big West) by set scores of 29-27, 23-25, 25-19 and 27-25 behind a balanced attack hitting at a .288 clip.
Four different Tritons finished with double-figure kills, including
Ireland McNees (16),
Molly McCluskey (15),
Gia Rivera (14) and
Madison Johnson (10).
Marleena Catalan registered a double-double with 30 assists and 10 digs, adding three service aces. McNees also tallied three aces, finishing just shy of a double-double herself with nine digs.
Lucia Barroso led the Tritons defensively at the net with six blocks, aided by McCluskey and Johnson with five and three respectively.
Paulina Baillie led the efforts in the back court with a match-high 17 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego built up an early 11-4 lead in the opening set, highlighted by a seven-point serving run from McNees that included three aces. The Tritons extended their lead 17-9 after a block from Barroso and McCluskey. CSUN continued to battle and fought off two set points to eventually tie the set at 24-24. The teams traded points before back-to-back kills from Rivera ended the set in favor of the Tritons, 29-27.
The Tritons had a similar hot start in the second set, building an 8-3 advantage behind tough serving from Shanafelt. A series of errors from UC San Diego gave the Matadors the opportunity to close the gap, 9-7. The Tritons built up another advantage, 13-9, but a four-point run for CSUN tied the set at 13-all. The Matadors carried the momentum to a 19-16 lead, their first of the match. A kill and a solo block from McCluskey pulled the Tritons within on, 22-21, but the teams traded side outs the remainder of the set for a CSUN, 25-23, victory to even the match, 1-1.
The teams battled to an 8-8 tie to begin set three before UC San Diego took control behind a dominant serving run from Catalan. The Tritons' setter tallied three aces as part of a six-point run, giving the visitors a 13-8 advantage. CSUN closed the gap to one point before back-to-back kills from
Madison Johnson and McNees built the lead back to 17-14. UC San Diego outscored CSUN 6-2 to close out the set, 25-19, and lead the match 2-1.
The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle with neither team leading by more than two points. The teams tied the set at -3, -4, -8, -9, -10, -11, -14, -15 and -18 before a four-point run gave the Tritons the lead 20-18. The swing was highlighted by two kills from McNees and one apiece from Johnson and McCluskey. CSUN would tie the set once again at -22 and -23 before secure its first set point, 24-23. A key block by Rivera and Barroso kept the set going at 24-all before the Tritons closed out the match with three straight points, capped by another block from McCluskey and Johnson to seal the victory, 27-25.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Marleena Catalana recorded her sixth double-double of the season.
- Madison Johnson matched her career high with 10 kills.
- UC San Diego held the advantage in aces (9-3), blocks (11-8), kills (62-59), hitting percentage (.288 to .264) and digs (52-48).
- The Tritons are 4-5 in four-set matches this season.
- UC San Diego is now 8-12 in the all-time series and 8-2 in Division I against CSUN.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will remain on the road to take on Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday at 6 p.m. 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.
