UC San Diego

EL PASO, Texas—UC San Diego women's volleyball swept Pacific, 3-0, on Sunday morning at Memorial Gym. The Tritons (3-6) held the Tigers (4-5) to a .092 hitting percentage and won by set scores of 25-17, 25-21, 25-20 to wrap up the Borderland Classic.
 
Ireland McNees recorded 10 kills, 13 digs and four block assists with her second double-double of the season. Molly McCluskey matched the team lead with 10 kills and added 12 digs, one ace and one block assist with her sixth double-double. Madison Johnson finished with six kills on a .385 hitting percentage and led the Tritons with six total blocks. Marleena Catalan tallied a team-high 18 assists and added four digs, while Maija Nepszy added 12 assists and three blocks. Paulina Baillie tallied 10 digs and Kylie Parker chipped in seven kills.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego separated in the first set with Catalan serving four straight points, turning a 10-8 lead into a 14-8 advantage with McCluskey adding a kill during the stretch. The Tritons later moved ahead 21-11 on a McNees kill from Nepszy and closed the set 25-17 after a Tigers service error.
 
The Tritons recovered from a 16-13 deficit in the second set, using a McCluskey kill, a McCluskey ace and a Nepszy/Johnson block during a four-point push that put the Tritons ahead 17-16. After the Tigers pulled even at 19-19, Parker delivered consecutive kills for a 21-19 edge. McCluskey added two late kills, and McNees closed the 25-21 set with a kill from Catalan.
 
UC San Diego created the separation in the third set with a 6-0 run that moved the score from 11-9 to 17-9, beginning with a McNees kill and continuing through Baillie's serve. The stretch included kills by Johnson, McCluskey and McNees, plus a Johnson/McNees block. After the Tigers cut a 23-15 deficit to 23-19, UC San Diego stopped the run and McCluskey finished the set with a kill from Catalan for a 25-20 Tritons win.

TRITON TIDBITS

• Molly McCluskey led the offense for the sixth time this season with her sixth double-double, while Ireland McNees recorded her second.
• Freshman Kylie Parker recorded a career-high seven kills.
• The Tritons held the advantage in hitting percentage (.196 to .092) and slight edge in blocks (8-7) and digs (50-49).
• It was the program's first victory against Pacific and UC San Diego is now 1-2 in the all-time series with the Tigers. 
• The Tritons finish the preseason schedule 3-1 against their future conference opponents from the WCC.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will conclude its non-conference slate next weekend at the Rebel Challenge in Las Vegas, facing Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday, Sept. 19 in a neutral match and taking on the host UNLV on Sunday, Sept. 20. Streaming information 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.