The top-ranked UCSD women’s volleyball team continued its winning streak, steamrolling San Francisco State and getting past a scrappy Sonoma State team in three games each. The Tritons improved to 16-2 overall, and retain their share of the California Collegiate Athletic Association lead with a 10-1 record in the conference.
Team up: Tritons Kendra Canape (No. 10) and Lindsay Crandell work together to block a San Francisco State spike on Oct. 10 at RIMAC Arena.
The SFSU Gators came to RIMAC on Oct. 10 with a 2-7 record in the CCAA and were expected to have little chance to compete. The Tritons’ focus ensured just that.
“”We’ve always been told, and my mentality is, to never underestimate a team,”” UCSD outside hitter Lindsay Crandell said. “”Teams know that we’re good and that we’re ranked really high and they’re going to come in and play their best match against us.””
SFSU’s best wasn’t good enough, however, as the Tritons took the first game quickly by a score of 30-18 with the strength of middle blocker Katie Hogan’s seven kills. UCSD came back to take game two as well, 30-24. In game three, Triton head coach Duncan McFarland mixed up his lineup in order to give experience to some of the other players, but UCSD still took the game easily, 30-19 to secure the sweep.
Hogan, Crandell and outside hitter Stacy Dunsmore did the bulk of the Tritons’ work offensively, accounting for 15, 14, and 13 kills, respectively, and 42 of the team’s 54 kills as a group. Teresa Ohta set for UCSD in games one and two, compiling 25 assists before giving way to Denelle Smalley in game three, who added 13.
For the fourth consecutive match, the Tritons hit above a .300 clip, with 54 kills and 15 errors on the match and a .348 attacking percentage. Hogan’s .619 mark set the standard for the Triton hitters.
Hogan attributed UCSD’s success to a concerted effort to raise the bar.
“”We’ve been talking a lot about going from being a good team to a great team. We just decided that everyone’s got to do their own part and step it up and I think a lot of us did that tonight,”” she said.
On Oct. 11, the Tritons hosted the Seawolves of SSU. This time it was a balanced attack that drove the Tritons to victory.
Five Tritons ‹ Crandell, Dunsmore, Hogan, opposite Lauren Mills, and middle blocker Kendra Canape ‹ all reached double-digits in kills. The feat is especially impressive given the match was only three games long with the Tritons winning 30-24, 30-26, 30-26.
The Seawolves squad that watched UCSD throughout warm-ups came out slowly against the Tritons who seemed only concerned with themselves.
“”We focus on our side of the game. Duncan tells us a few things about the other team, but we’ve just got to focus on our side of the net and get the job done no matter what the other team does,”” Dunsmore said.
The Seawolves recovered their poise in game two, snatching the lead from UCSD midway through, but the Tritons rallied back due to consistent hitting and a solid defensive unit that racked up 64 digs on the night versus SSU’s 56.
“”We’ve always taken pride in our defense, and it’s always a goal to out-dig the other team,”” Dunsmore said.
Game three took a familiar route as the Seawolves mounted a rally, but the Tritons came up with points when they needed them most to grab the 30-26 victory and the sweep.
While improving their record, UCSD was also able to develop their depth with 10 different players seeing time for UCSD over the weekend. In the long run, McFarland feels that his players will be well served by opportunities they have now.
“”We’re always looking to develop our depth as much as we can,”” he said. “”The more players we have against these teams, the better off we are.””
The Triton depth will be further bolstered by the returns of opposite Ashley Peterson (previously with an ankle injury), middle blocker Brianna Koche (out due to mononucleosis), and outside hitter Bonnie Wilson (out with a foot injury).
The Tritons return to action Oct. 16 and Oct. 17 when they travel to Cal State Stanislaus and Cal State Bakersfield to begin the second half of the CCAA season.
