UC San Diego

RIVERSIDE, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball won a five-set battle over UC Riverside on Saturday afternoon in SRC Arena. The Tritons (7-8, 3-1 Big West) amassed 10 aces and hit .265 in the match to defeat the Highlanders (4-11, 0-4 Big West) by set scores of 25-17, 24-26, 25-20, 19-25, 15-8.
 
Ireland McNees recorded a career high 22 kills, adding six digs, three blocks and two aces to lead UC San Diego with 25.5 points. The senior outside hitting also hit .306 for the match. Molly McCluskey added 14 kills, nine digs, four aces and three blocks for 19.5 points. Katelyn Hernandez also finished in double figures with 12 kills and Madison Johnson added eight kills and a team-best five blocks. Marleena Catalan recorded 33 assists and Paulina Baillie collected 19 digs and three aces for the Tritons.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego built an early 7-3 lead in the opening frame and maintained the slim advantage to 11-9. A pair of blocks from Johnson and McCluskey highlighted a four-point run for the Tritons to extend the advantage, 15-10. UC San Diego continued to apply pressure at the service line with aces from McNees and Jaedyn Houston down the stretch to take the opening set comfortably, 25-17.
 
The teams remained close for the beginning of set two, with UCR holding a 10-9 advantage midway through the frame. Three quick points gave the Tritons the advantage 12-10 behind a kill from both Hernandez and Lucia Barroso. The teams traded a two-point swing before UC San Diego scored four consecutive points behind tough serving from McNees to lead 19-17. The Highlanders jumped back in front late and the Tritons fought off two set points at 24-22, before UCR got the final two points to take the set, 26-24.
 
The Tritons took control early in set three, building a 9-2 advantage behind two service aces from McCluskey and another from Baillie. The Highlanders chipped away at the lead to eventually tie the set at 17-all. UC San Diego outscored UCR 7-2 down the stretch, highlighted by two kills from McNees to close out the set, 25-20, for the Tritons.
 
 UC San Diego quickly built a three-point advantage and held it until 10-7. The Highlanders then found a rhythm, scoring six straight points to take the lead, 13-10. Another 3-0 run gave UCR the lead for good, 17-13, and the Highlanders closed out the set, 25-19, to force a deciding fifth set. 
 
It was all UC San Diego to begin the final frame, jumping out to a 7-1 advantage behind kills from four different Tritons and capped with a McCluskey ace. The Highlanders closed the gap to 10-6 but UC San Diego answered with a three-point run sparked by a kill from Hernandez and a block from McNees/Barroso. McCluskey and Johnson closed out the match with back-to-back kills to take the set, 15-8, and the match, 3-2.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Ireland McNees recorded a career-best 22 kills. For the weekend she finished with 41 kills (4.56 per set) and a .405 hitting percentage, collecting 45.0 points.
• The Tritons had the advantage in kills (63-53), aces (10-3), digs (49-44) and hitting percentage (.265 to .226). UCR had the edge in blocks (11-8).
• UC San Diego combined for 21 service aces, while allowing just four for opponents in two matches in Riverside for the weekend.
• It was the first five-set victory for the Tritons this season who are 1-4 in matches that go the distance.
• UC San Diego is now 13-16 in the all-time series and 8-3 in Division I against UC Riverside.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will return to La Jolla to host a pair of newcomers to the Big West, facing Sacramento State on Friday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. and Utah Valley on Saturday, Oct. 10 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.