BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball fell to Cal State Bakersfield, 3-1, on Saturday evening in the Icardo Center. The Tritons (9-10, 5-3 Big West) rallied after dropping the first two sets but ultimately fell to the Roadrunners (9-11, 4-4 Big West) by set scores of 21-25, 20-25, 25-20 and 24-26. UC San Diego hit .379 while taking the third set 25-20, then cut a nine-point fourth-set deficit to two before falling 26-24 in the final set.
Ireland McNees led the Tritons with 17.5 points and 16 kills, adding 10 digs, an ace and a block assist.
Molly McCluskey recorded 11 kills and 13 digs, plus a service ace and a solo block.
Gia Rivera added 11 kills and three blocks.
Marleena Catalan finished with 23 assists, seven digs, two kills and an ace.
Paulina Baillie tallied three service aces and 10 digs, while Luca Barroso led the team with four blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego built an 8-4 lead in the first set behind a McNees service ace, a
Brynne McGhie-
Madison Johnson block and kills from Rivera and Barroso. The Tritons led 15-12 midway through the set, but the Roadrunners scored the next six points to move in front 18-15. UC San Diego got back within one point, 21-20, but Bakersfield closed out the set 25-21.
In the second set, the Tritons turned a 15-12 deficit into a 16-15 advantage as McNees had three kills around a McCluskey service ace. The teams were tied again at 17-17, but CSUB moved back in front, and Rivera's kill only pulled the Tritons within one, 19-18. UC San Diego reached 20-22 late before the Roadrunners closed out the set 25-20.
After an early back-and-forth, the Tritons flipped the third set after trailing 19-18, using a six-point run to move in front 24-19. McCluskey tied it with a kill, and
Dillyn Griffin served the next five Tritons points, including an ace. After the Roadrunners got one point back, a service error closed out the Tritons' 25-20 set win.
The Tritons nearly erased a late deficit in the fourth set, winning seven of eight rallies to turn a 22-16 hole into a 23-23 tie. Baillie served four straight points during the push, with Rivera adding two kills, teaming with Barroso on a block and Baillie delivering the ace that tied it. The teams traded points before the Roadrunners narrowly closed out the set 26-24.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Molly McCluskey recorded her 10th double-double and Ireland McNees tallied her sixth.
- Bakersfield hit .276 with 57 kills and 14 total blocks, compared with a .197 attack percentage, 52 kills and six total blocks for the Tritons.
- The Tritons are 4-6 in four-set matches this season.
- UC San Diego is now 24-17 in the all-time series and 6-4 in Division I against Cal State Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will face off with travel partner UC Irvine in a home-and-home weekend, playing host to the Anteaters on Friday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. and traveling north to Irvine on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. Friday's Blue and Gold Rivalry match is presented by University Credit Union, with the first 400 fans receiving a free t-shirt. The contest will also be the Tritons Team IMPACT match. 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.
