UC San Diego

HONOLULU—UC San Diego women's volleyball fell to Loyola Marymount, 3-1, on Thursday evening in Stan Sheriff Center. In the opening match of the Outrigger Invitational, the Tritons (2-2) matched the Lions (4-0) with 59 kills and 11 total blocks. Three of the four sets were decided by two points, 26-24, 18-25, 29-27, 28-26.
 
Ireland McNees scored 20.5 points for the Tritons, finishing with 17 kills, 13 digs, two aces and two blocks. Molly McCluskey finished with 13 kills, four blocks and 15.5 points, while Yasemin Elmas added seven kills and four blocks. Brynne McGhie recorded 38 assists and added 14 digs. Paulina Baillie collected 19 digs and added five assists, while Lucia Barroso tallied a team-best five blocks.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams battled early in the opening set, tying seven times before the Lions created distance with a five-point scoring run midway through the frame. The Tritons erased a late 23-19 deficit, getting a McCluskey kill, two LMU attack errors and a McNees kill from Baillie to tie it at 23. After the Lions moved back in front, Elmas answered with a kill from McGhie to make it 24-24, but LMU took the next two points to hand the Tritons a 26-24 set loss.
 
In the second set, the Tritons created separation with a mid-set push, turning a 14-6 lead into 18-6 while Dillyn Griffin served four straight points. That stretch included a McNees kill, a block by Elmas and McCluskey, and a McCluskey kill from McGhie. After the Lions cut the margin to 23-18, Gia Rivera delivered a kill and then joined Elmas on the block to close out the set, 25-18.
 
A 12-10 deficit in the third set became a 15-13 lead for the Tritons, with Madison Johnson tying it at 12-12, McNees serving an ace for 13-12 and Barroso adding a kill during the swing. The Tritons later had set-point chances at 24-22, 25-24, 26-25 and 27-26, but LMU answered each time. The Lions scored the final two points from 27-27 to take the set, 29-27.
 
In the fourth set the Tritons' clearest separation came on Griffin's serve, when they turned a 9-7 edge into a 13-7 lead. Four straight service points, including Griffin's ace and a McNees kill from McGhie put UC San Diego in front. The Lions later erased the gap and tied the set at 16-16, and the Tritons continued to answer in a back-and-forth finish. The set reached 26-26 before LMU scored the final two points to take it 28-26.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Ireland McNees recorded her first double-double of the season, Brynne McGhie recorded her second.
• The Tritons recorded a season highs 14 total blocks.
• UC San Diego is 2-1 against future WCC opponents to start the season.
• The Tritons are 2-2 in four-set matches.
• UC San Diego is now 1-9 in the all-time series and 0-2 in Division I against LMU.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego remains in Honolulu for the second day of the Outrigger Invitational, facing Utah Tech on Friday at 7 p.m. PT. The match will not be streamed but live statistics will be available for 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.