The UCSD women’s volleyball team extended its winning streak to four games after winning three matches against Grand Canyon University, UC Davis and Chico State. The Tritons are 23-4 overall and 17-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
After an uninspired performance the previous weekend against conference leader Cal State San Bernardino, the Tritons came out swinging against Grand Canyon on Nov. 6. Sophomore outsider hitters Bonnie Wilson and Stacy Dunsmore led the way with 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Dunsmore also tallied 10 digs while UCSD out-dug the Antelopes 52-38 en route to a three-game sweep (30-26, 30-22, 30-24).
“”I think that after [playing CSUSB], we talked about playing with more emotion and more passion, and I think we did that,”” said sophomore setter Teresa Ohta.
After playing on that night, flying back and going to classes on the following day, the Tritons hit the road again on the morning of Nov. 8, flying north to take on UC Davis.
UCSD opened slowly, allowing UC Davis to jump out to an 11-8 lead before senior Jennie Wilson served up nine straight points to put the Tritons in front as they held off an Aggie push to take the 30-25 victory.
UCSD opened game two with a 10-0 run, and attacked with an outstanding .414 for the game to win easily 30-14. The Tritons didn’t let up in the third game, again attacking above .400 as Jennie Wilson put down nine of her 12 kills for the match in the 30-20 win.
Despite UC Davis’ poor record, the Triton players insist they take each contest seriously and use the time to gain experience and cohesiveness as a unit.
“”We’re focusing on every match as it occurs,”” Bonnie Wilson said. “”We still haven’t reached our peak. We’re using every match to develop our team even further.””
The whirlwind tour of the CCAA came to its final stop Nov. 9 as UCSD went to play the Chico State Wildcats. Before the match, Chico State celebrated the careers of their seniors, but from the outset it was clear that the Tritons would be the team celebrating at the end of the night.
Several Tritons had big individual matches that propelled UCSD to a 30-22, 20-24 and 20-27 sweep. Ohta distributed 49 assists in the three-game contest to increase her conference-leading assists per game total. Middle blockers Jennie Wilson and Katie Hogan filled the stat sheet as beneficiaries of many of Ohta’s sets as Hogan notched 14 kills, and Wilson added nine while picking up 10 digs, getting five block assists and hitting .571 for the match.
The accomplishments of Hogan and Jennie Wilson were noted by Ohta as being a key to the UCSD’s success.
“”Our middles played really well,”” she said. “”Once you get the middles going it confuses the blocks a lot. All the hitters have to work together to get each other open.””
Benefiting from some single blocks on the outside and the focus on the middle, Bonnie Wilson put down 17 kills to lead the Tritons.
Although they earned three-consecutive sweeps, the Tritons say that they still haven’t played the ideal match where every player plays her best. UCSD insists that it is a team that is continuing to elevate its play.
“”One of our main goals is to keep getting better because we want to peak during playoffs,”” Ohta said.
The Tritons will play two more tune-ups before the postseason begins as they close their home season Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 against Sonoma State University and San Francisco State University. Each match begins at 7 p.m. at RIMAC Arena.
