BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball earned its second consecutive Big West victory, defeating Cal State Bakersfield, 25-18, 25-18, 18-25, 25-20, on Saturday afternoon. The Tritons (10-8, 2-4 Big West) moved to 21-15 (3-2 in D-I) in the all-time series with the Roadrunners (5-13, 1-5 Big West).
 
Ava McInnes led all hitters with 15 kills, while Jasmine Saran added 11 and Lauren Brooker chipped in eight. Nevada Knowles continued a red-hot streak at the service line with four aces in the contest and led the team with 22 assists. Defensively, Saran led the team with four blocks, while Brooker added three and McInnes collected a team-high 11 digs for her third double-double of the season. Knowles and Dana Branavets added eight digs apiece. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons jumped out to an early 5-1 lead to open the first set and extended their advantage to six midway through the set. Sparked by kills from Brooker and McInnes and a block by Saran, UC San Diego put together a four-point run to make it 20-11. The Roadrunners rallied to within five points but the Tritons took the opening set, 25-18.
 
The teams traded points to a 7-7 tie to begin the second set before UC San Diego went on a four-point scoring run to create space. CSUB responded with a four-point run of its own to pull back even at 11-all. The teams remained close before another four-point scoring run put the Tritons back in front for good, 17-13. UC San Diego strung together four more points to extend its lead 21-15 and cruised to a second set victory, 25-18.
 
UC San Diego took an early 5-3 lead but the Roadrunners quickly tied things up 5-all. The teams traded the lead before CSUB went on an 8-3 scoring run to create space, 16-11. Another four-point run by Bakersfield made it 20-12 and the Roadrunners never looked back, taking the set, 25-18, and extending the match.  
 
Cal State Bakersfield had the early lead, 6-3, in the final set before the Tritons rattled off four straight points to jump in front, 7-6. The teams remained within two points of one another all the way to a 19-17 CSUB advantage. UC San Diego then strung together five points, including two kills by Reagan Dryden and two by Saran to take the lead for good at 22-19. The Tritons scored the final three points to take the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1. 
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Nevada Knowles collected 11 aces in two matches, after recording seven at CSUN on Friday (a Tritons D-I record) and adding four in the match at Bakersfield.
• Ava McInnes recorded her third double-double of the season leading the team in both kills (15) and digs (11).
• UC San Diego held the advantage in aces (9-4) and blocks (8-7), while CSUB had the edge in kills (52-49) and digs (55-50).
• With the win, the Tritons moved to 21-15 (3-2 in D-I) in the all-time series with Cal State Bakersfield.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will return to LionTree Arena to play host to UC Riverside on Oct. 13 and UC Davis on Oct. 14. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live statistics 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.