IRVINE, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball defeated UC Irvine, 3-1, on Saturday evening at Bren Events Center. The Tritons (10-11, 6-4 Big West) finished ahead in kills and hitting percentage, recording 58 kills at .167 compared with 57 and .122 for the Anteaters (9-12, 7-3 Big West).
In a match that had a two-point differential across four sets, the Tritons won by set scores of 25-23, 29-27, 21-25, 25-23. UC San Diego went on an 8-0 run in the second set after trailing by one and won the set 29-27.
Molly McCluskey led all hitters with a season-high 24 kills and 26.5 points while adding 11 digs for her second double-double of the weekend.
Ireland McNees finished with 16 kills, 15 digs and 18.5 points.
Marleena Catalan recorded 23 assists, while
Brynne McGhie finished with 13 assists and four blocks.
Paulina Baillie collected a team-high 17 digs.
Madison Johnson posted seven total blocks and added three kills, while
Lucia Barroso finished with five blocks and three kills as well.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons created separation in the first set with
Dillyn Griffin serving, scoring four straight points from 13-9 to 17-9 on two UCI attack errors, a McNees kill and a McCluskey kill. The Anteaters later cut a 24-18 Tritons lead to 24-23, but McCluskey finished the set with a kill from Catalan for a 25-23 win.
UC San Diego fell behind early in the second set, 9-2, before rallying behind kills from
Gia Rivera, McNees, Barroso and McGhie, as well as a McNees ace and McGhie/Johnson block to pull even 11-11. The Tritons then turned the set on an eight-point run, moving from a 13-12 deficit to a 20-13 lead behind Barroso's serve and three kills from McCluskey. UC San Diego outscored UCI 18-4 in the swing. The Anteaters later erased a 23-16 lead for the visitors and went ahead 27-26, but the Tritons answered with a McCluskey kill, a McGhie/Johnson block and McNees' set-ending kill to take the set 29-27.
After falling behind 15-6 in the third set, the Tritons made their main move late, using a
Katelyn Hernandez kill and four straight service points with Baillie serving to cut UCI's lead from 22-16 to 22-20. Barroso and Hernandez combined on blocks for two points during that push and Barroso later added a kill to bring the Tritons within 23-21. The Anteaters scored the final two points to take the set 25-21 and extend the match.
The teams traded points for most of the fourth set, pulling even nine different times. Late in the frame, the Tritons answered a 22-21 deficit by taking the next three points, with McNees tying the set and McCluskey and Johnson combining on the block that put the Tritons ahead 23-22. After the Anteaters pulled within one, McCluskey finished the set with a kill from Catalan for a 25-23 Tritons win.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Molly McCluskey recorded her 12th double-double of the season and a season-high in points and kills. It was her second match with 20+ kills.
- Ireland McNees tallied her seventh double-double of the year and a season-high in digs.
- The Tritons are 5-6 in four-set matches this season.
- UC San Diego is now 5-10 in the all-time series and 5-6 in Division I against UC Irvine, splitting the season series 1-1.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will play a pair of home matches, playing host to UC Santa Barbara on Friday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. and Big West-leader Cal Poly on Saturday, Oct. 31 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.
