UC San Diego

BERKELEY, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball fell to California, 3-1, on Saturday evening in UCU Pavilion. The Tritons (1-1) dropped their second match of the Gael Bear Classic to the Golden Bears (2-0) by set scores of 16-25, 25-18, 22-25, 17-25. UC San Diego recorded 51 kills and 52 digs in the match, while California tallied 55 kills and 7 service aces.
 
Molly McCluskey led UC San Diego with 13 kills and contributed 13 digs, amassing a total of 15 points with her second double-double in as many matches. Ireland McNees added 11 kills and four assists, rounding out her performance with 11.5 points. Brynne McGhie facilitated the offense with 29 assists and made a notable contribution on defense with seven digs. Yasemin Elmas posted a .375 hitting percentage with three kills and also recorded two block assists. Paulina Baillie added 12 digs and two aces.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite an early tie at 2-2, the Golden Bears built a modest, 7-4, lead with a series of successful plays early in set one. Elmas and McCluskey contributed crucial kills to keep the Tritons competitive, narrowing the gap to 7-7 midway through the set.
 
Lucia Barroso's kill and Elmas' block momentarily halted Cal's momentum, but subsequent errors allowed Cal to extend its lead, 18-10. The Tritons continued to fight back with kills from Katelyn Hernandez and Madison Johnson, but Cal maintained control and secured the opening set, 25-16.
 
The Tritons gained momentum in the second set with a series of successful plays, starting with a decisive kill by McNees. Hernandez and McCluskey contributed with critical kills, helping the visitors to build a steady lead. They maintained pressure, capitalizing on Cal's service errors and their own service aces, notably by Baillie and Lucia Barroso, to extend their advantage, 12-10.
 
Back-to-back kills by McCluskey gave the Tritons an 18-14 advantage. Despite Cal's attempts to close the gap, the Tritons' consistent scoring, including another key kill by Johnson, ensured their control of the set. McGhie added a service ace and the set concluded with the Tritons securing a 25-18 victory.
 
After a back-and-forth exchange to begin set three, Cal built a 10-5 advantage early in the frame. The Tritons found momentum with a series of kills by Johnson and McCluskey, tying the score at 11-11. However, Cal responded with a crucial run, extending its lead to 21-17.
 
The Tritons rallied again with McCluskey and McNees contributing key kills, narrowing the gap to 23-21. Despite their efforts, the Tritons could not overcome Cal's final push, with the Golden Bears ending the set 25-22.
 
In the fourth set, the Tritons found momentum early as McNees made a significant impact with kills to level the score at 2-2 and 4-4. UC San Diego kept things close before back-to-back aces helped Cal extend its lead 16-10. 
 
Barroso and McCluskey managed to add valuable points for the Tritons, reducing the deficit to 21-16. However, consistent scoring from Cal sealed the set for the home team, 25-17.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Molly McCluskey recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 kills and 13 digs.
• Kaliya Ndiaye, Kylie Parker and Gia Rivera all made their collegiate debut in the contest.
• UC San Diego is 1-1 in four-set matches.
• The Tritons are now 1-2 in the all-time series with California.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will wrap up the opening weekend at the Gael Bear Classic, taking on Gonzaga on Sunday at 2 p.m. in a neutral match in Berkeley. The game will not be broadcast but 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.