LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball faced Cal Poly on Saturday night at LionTree Arena. The Tritons (10-13, 6-6 Big West) fell to the Mustangs (16-6, 12-0 Big West) in three sets, 25-21, 25-23, 25-14.
Molly McCluskey led the Tritons with 10.5 points, on nine kills and 14 digs, adding one block and one ace.
Madison Johnson finished with seven kills, while
Katelyn Hernandez and
Kylie Parker chipped in five apiece.
Brynne McGhie led UC San Diego with 21 assists, adding five digs and one block. McCluskey,
Dillyn Griffin, and
Jaedyn Houston each recorded a service ace.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set began as evenly as possible, each side going point for point through the first 10. The Tritons scored a pivotal point, their 12th, off of a nearly two-minute back-and-forth that resulted in a
Gia Rivera kill. The point gave the Tritons their largest lead of the set, 12-10. Cal Poly closed the gap and tied the set at 15. Each side continued to match at 16 and 17, with UC San Diego retaking a two-point lead 20-18, before Cal Poly went on a four-point run to recapture the lead and hold it to win the set, 25-21.
In the second, the two sides traded runs, first a three-point run by Cal Poly followed by a five-point run for UC San Diego. The Mustangs evened the score at seven and nine, and went on a four-point run. Cal Poly followed with a three-point run, before the Tritons went on a five-point run to tie at 18, highlighted by a solo block and kill by Hernandez and an ace by
Hayden Shanafelt. The Tritons tied again at 23, but the Mustangs won the set, 25-23.
In the third, the Tritons leapt ahead, outpacing the Mustangs for the first six points, leading by as much as three before Cal Poly went on a six-point run. The Mustangs continued to add on with the lead and won the set, 25-14.
TRITON TIDBITS
- The Tritons recorded three service aces to Cal Poly's one.
- It was the first three-set loss of the season for UC San Diego.
- Cal Poly leads the all-time series 8-2.
UP NEXT
The Tritons travel to Utah to face Utah Valley on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. PT and stay on the road to take on Sacramento State on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. The matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at 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.
