LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego women's volleyball dropped a four-set battle to Northwestern, 21-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-25, on Sunday afternoon in LionTree Arena. It was the first meeting between the Tritons (1-2) and the Wildcats (3-0).
Molly McCluskey led the team with a remarkable 29 kills on 61 attempts, recording a new career high. She hit .295 while also contributing two service aces and eight digs for a total of 33 points.
Jasmine Saran was a defensive standout with seven total blocks, including two solo blocks, adding 8.5 points.
Maija Nepszy facilitated the offense with 41 assists, leading the team in this category across four sets.
Paulina Baillie led the team with 10 digs and added nine assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons started the first set with a strong 5-0 run, highlighted by McCluskey's service ace and kill at the outset. The home team maintained a lead until the Wildcats tied the score at 7-7, capitalizing on several attack errors. Despite the Tritons' efforts, including key kills by
Maria Fernanda Afonso and
Madison Johnson, the Wildcats rallied back with a series of service aces and kills to take the set 25-21.
The second set began with a strong performance from McCluskey, who contributed significantly with five kills, including back-to-back kills to tie the set, 13-all. The Tritons capitalized on several Northwestern errors, managing to stay competitive through the middle of the set. However, the Wildcats pulled ahead with a sequence of points late, which helped them secure the set 25-21.
The third set began with the Wildcats taking an early lead, 8-3, but the Tritons rallied back with significant contributions from Afonso and McCluskey, who each secured key kills early on. Nepszy was instrumental, delivering consistent assists, including a crucial sequence where UC San Diego tied the score at 17-17. A late surge by the Tritons, highlighted by Saran's back-to-back blocks and a decisive kill by McCluskey, sealed the set with a 25-22 victory for the Tritons.
Northwestern jumped out to an early 6-1 lead in set four and continued to add on as the set progressed. Despite strategic kills from Afonso and
Stefania Alupei, the Wildcats maintained control, expanding their lead to 9-3. The Tritons found momentum with McCluskey contributing multiple kills, but the Wildcats capitalized on errors and pulled ahead, 23-12. Afonso and Saran added crucial points late in the contest, but Northwestern secured the set 25-15.
TRITON TIDBITS
UP NEXT
The Tritons will head to Idaho next weekend for the Boise State Classic, taking on Boise State, Oregon State and Arizona in the three-day event beginning Thursday. The matches will be streamed on the Mountain West Network and live statistics will be available on UCSDTritons.com.
Article partially generated with FanWord.
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.
