DAVIS, Calif.– UC San Diego women's volleyball played its eighth five-set match of the year, falling to UC Davis, 3-2, on Saturday evening in University Credit Union Center.
The Tritons (8-8, 1-3 Big West) battled from two sets down to avoid the sweep but eventually fell to the Aggies (8-6, 3-1 Big West), 24-26, 20-25, 25-22, 25-14, 9-15.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego held the advantage in aces (6-4) and digs (90-88), but the Aggies led the way in all other statistical categories including blocks (15-11) and hitting percentage (.159-.110).
Ava McInnes led the Tritons with 14 kills, while
Zaria Henderson notched her eighth double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs.
Emily McDaniel also reached double-figure kills with 11 and led the team with five blocks, while
Juliette Bokor finished with four blocks.
Aubrey Tanner also finished with a double-double, tallying 39 assists, 13 digs and added three blocks.
Naya Dong led the team with 18 digs, while
Natalie Repetti finished with 13.
Katie Rapp provided a spark off the bench with four service aces and added four kills, five digs and one block.
The first set saw the Tritons take a 16-11 lead at the midway point before UCD went on a 9-1 scoring run to lead 20-17. UC San Diego battled back to reach set point 24-23, but the Aggies scored the final three points to take the opening set, 26-24.
UC Davis carried momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 13-6 lead. The Aggies held on to the lead down the stretch before the Tritons rallied late with a 4-1 run to make it 20-22, but UCD scored the final three points again to close out the set, 25-20, and lead the match, 2-0.
It looked as if the Tritons would suffer their second sweep of the season, trailing 9-17 in the third set. However, tough serving off the bench from freshman
Katie Rapp sparked a 6-point run for UC San Diego to pull within one, 18-19. The Tritons outscored UC Davis 13-3 to close out the set, 25-22, and stay alive in the match.
Bolstered by the comeback, it was all UC San Diego in the fourth. The Tritons built a 15-5 lead midway through the frame, with help from a four-point run at the service line for Rapp that included two more aces. UC San Diego would not be denied and closed out the frame with another four-point run by Rapp to take the set, 25-14, and even the match, 2-2.
The Tritons kept it close to begin the deciding set, tying things at 6-all. However, the Aggies put together a six-point run of their own that effectively put the set out of reach for UC San Diego. The Tritons continued to battle but UCD eventually took the set, 15-9, and the match, 3-2.
TRITON TIDBITS
- This marked the eighth time the Tritons have gone the distance this season. UC San Diego currently holds a 2-6 record in five-set matches.
- Zaria Henderson recorded her eighth double-double, while Aubrey Tanner tallied her second.
- UC San Diego's .110 hitting percentage was its lowest of the season. The Tritons 11.5 blocks was their third-highest of the season.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will continue a stretch of four road games, playing a rare Tuesday contest at UC Irvine (7 p.m. PT) before traveling to Hawai'i on Saturday (10 p.m. PT). 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 Conference 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 83 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.
