LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball faced off against UC Irvine in the Blue and Gold Rivalry Match on Friday night in LionTree Arena. The Tritons (9-11, 5-4 Big West) were defeated by the Anteaters (9-11, 7-2 Big West) in five sets: 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 18-25, 12-15. The Tritons recorded 57 kills on a .186 hitting percentage to UC Irvine's 60 kills on a .185 hitting percentage. The Tritons outblocked the Anteaters 14 to 13.
Molly McCluskey led the Tritons with 21.0 points, 18 kills and 14 digs.
Ireland McNees and
Gia Rivera also recorded double-figure kills with 12 and 10 respectively.
Marleena Catalan led the Tritons with 30 assists, adding 10 digs. Defensively,
Lucia Barroso recorded a team-best seven blocks, while
Madison Johnson recorded six and McNees chipped in four.
Paulina Baillie joined McCluskey for the team lead with 14 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first set, the Tritons took an early lead, 7-3 over UC Irvine, until the Anteaters went on a 4-0 run to take the lead 8-7. UC San Diego then went on a 4-0 run of their own to take an 11-9 lead. The largest lead of the set came after a three-point run to put the Tritons in front, 15-10. The run was capped by an exceptional ace by
Hayden Shanafelt that bent in at the last moment to catch the back corner. A media timeout proved beneficial for UC Irvine, sparking a 7-1 swing that put the Anteaters in front, 17-16. Even play continued as both sides matched at 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23. The Tritons would win the set 25-23 on a block by Catalan and Johnson.
UC San Diego built an early 6-3 advantage after a three-point run to begin the second set. The home team extended its lead on a 4-0 run to give the Tritons their largest of the set, 14-7. UC Irvine fought back, embarking on a six-point run to pull within one. The Anteaters continued to draw near and evened the score at 21. The Tritons jumped back in front at 24-22 and took the set 25-23 after a service error by UCI.
The third set stayed even through five before UC Irvine took its first lead since the first set, 7-5. UC San Diego evened the score at 9-9 before the Anteaters went back in front and led by as much as four, prompting a Triton timeout at 15-11. UC San Diego rallied to even the score at 16-all. UCI then put together a 3-0 run, the only run of the set on either side, to take a 19-16 lead. Irvine continued to pace while ahead, taking a 24-20 lead. UC San Diego contested the lead late, drawing near, 24-22, but the Anteaters secured the set, 25-22.
The fourth set went even through the first four before UC Irvine took the lead at 6-4. The Anteaters extended their lead on a 3-0 run. The Tritons attempted to close the gap, narrowing it to 11-10. The two sides then traded three-point runs before the Tritons once again made it a one-point set at 16-15. UCI kept ahead at scores of 18-15, 20-16 and 22-17. UC San Diego continued to battle but the Anteaters ended a 3-0 run at 23-17 and won the set, 25-18.
The fifth set was even through 4-4 when UC Irvine jumped ahead, leading 8-5. The Tritons climbed back and took a lead at 10-9 before the Anteaters erupted on a four-point run to take a 13-10 advantage. The Tritons rallied to close in at 14-12 with an McNees kill, but UC Irvine won the set 15-12 on a kill by Nicole Feliciano, who led the Anteaters with 14.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Molly McCluskey recorded her 11th double-double of the season and Marleena Catalan earned her seventh.
- UC Irvine leads the all-time head-to-head 10-4 and 6-4 in Division I matchups.
- The Anteaters hit .185 with 60 kills, seven aces, 73 digs, and 13.0 blocks, compared to the Tritons' .166 hitting percentage with 57 kills, four aces, 62 digs, and 14.0 blocks.
- UC San Diego is 1-5 in five-set matches this season.
UP NEXT
The Tritons take a drive up the five to face UC Irvine again on Saturday at 5 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.
