SAN DIEGO - UC San Diego women’s volleyball swept the Cal State Fullerton Titans before a crowd of 1,261 in their home opener at LionTree Arena Friday afternoon. The Tritons (5-7) won 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-18) with 10 new players on the team, on a newly resurfaced Taraflex court. The Big West Conference opener was preceded by a Welcome Back Block Party for students, and the arena was filled with fans in matching tees.
“This was the best game we’ve ever played in LionTree,” said Ireland McNees in a postgame interview for ESPN+. “It’s so cool to have the Taraflex… all of our fans in school, student athletes, all of our friends from class all came, it was amazing. This was the best game we’ve had here so far.”
Ireland McNees serving. Photo credit: Miguel Mejia/Miguel Mejia Photography
Set One
Runs of five and six points put the the Tritons up 15-6. McNees set the tone for the Tritons, earning five kills off of 12 attacks, while Dillyn Griffin led the team with five digs. As the point differential climbed, the energy in LionTree did too. Even dance-offs between the players ensued during play reviews. The Tritons easily took the first set, 25-13.
Set Two
Fullerton found some momentum early in the second set, gaining a five-point lead. After a series of kills and attack errors from the Titans, UC San Diego tied the set at 13. Molly McCluskey racked up kills, and the Tritons went up by three. Back-and-forth scoring followed, neither team allowing a lead greater than two or three points. This set, timeout competitions consisted of handstands between the players instead of dancing. The teams never lost focus though, and the scores were tied at 21, then 22, then 23. A quick two points from Fullerton attack errors secured the Tritons their second set.
“We talk about taking it one point at a time… and we've been in those situations in preseason,” said McNees. “And so all we do is just stay calm, stay with each other, and usually we come together in the middle and take a deep breath, and then we just go to our thing.”
Set Three
UC San Diego scored the first five points of the third set. Similar to the second, both teams climbed up together, never allowing more than a four or five-point differential. The Tritons managed to keep the lead though, with Madison Johnson, McCluskey and McNees all tied at eight kills early in the set. Five more back-to-back kills from UC San Diego put the team up 18-10. Gia Rivera’s third kill gave the Tritons their 20th and 21st point, while Fullerton struggled to keep up. The set ended with a kill from Johnson to complete the Triton sweep, 25-18.
UC San Diego women’s volleyball. Photo credit: Miguel Mejia/Miguel Mejia Photography
McNees ended with a game-high 13 points including 11 kills, while McCluskey and Johnson each had 10. Paulina Baillie led in digs with 14, while Marleena Catalan contributed a team-high 15 assists.
Up next is another home game today at LionTree Arena against Long Beach State (8-2) at 5 p.m. There will be foam fingers for the first 100 kids 12 and under. Get tickets here or watch on ESPN+.
Top image photo credit: Miguel Mejia/Miguel Mejia Photography
