The No. 7 Cal State San Bernardino women’s volleyball team knew No. 2 UCSD’s starters would show up ready to play. What it didn’t count on was the clutch play of the Triton bench that ignited UCSD to step up and secure the 3-1 win over the Coyotes (30-19, 30-26, 23-30, 30-23) in a crucial late-season match on Oct. 27 at RIMAC Arena.
“The turning point of the match was having our bench come in and make things happen when we were struggling,” UCSD head coach Duncan McFarland said. “We’ve always talked about the fact that there’s a lot of different roles on our team; some people have big roles and [some have] smaller roles, but they’re all important to our team.”
Entering the match, Cal State San Bernardino was second behind UCSD in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
“I thought we were really well prepared going into the match,” McFarland said. “It was just a hard-fought match all-in-all, and it always is between us two teams; there’s a lot of history, a lot of bad blood between us.”
Triton senior outside hitter Bonnie Wilson led with 17 kills and 14 digs, followed by senior middle blocker Katie Hogan, who posted 14 kills, hitting for .520. Senior outside hitter Stacy Dunsmore contributed nine kills and seven digs. Senior setter Teresa Ohta guided the Triton offense with 46 assists while adding four kills of her own.
Defensively, freshman libero Natalie Facchini notched a match-high 16 digs. Although UCSD expected a tough match, the team never doubted its ability to come away with the win.
“I came in with the mindset that we just have to relax and play our game,” Facchini said. “I wasn’t worried at all because we were playing at our home gym, and I pretty much had confidence in our team the whole game. …I went in knowing we were going to pull it out.”
Although the Coyotes had three players record double-digits in kills, including a match-high 23 kills by senior outside hitter Brianna Harris, the Tritons’ all-around play proved to be too much for their CCAA rivals.
UCSD took an early lead in game one, eventually running away with a 30-19 victory.
In game two, the Tritons stayed ahead, gaining a 23-14 lead at one occasion. Cal State San Bernardino adjusted and saved five-straight set points to keep it at 29-26. Finally, it was the Coyotes’ own error that gave UCSD the game-winning point.
Fresh from its near-comeback, Cal State San Bernardino turned up the pressure and took a 20-10 lead in game three. UCSD answered back, getting help from its bench. Freshman outside hitter Amber Ries came in to replace junior outside hitter Lindsay Crandell. Sophomore middle blocker Brianna Koche and sophomore outside hitter Francesca Centofanti also took the court in game three, helping the Tritons narrow the Coyotes’ lead. With Hogan serving, UCSD scored four straight points to inch closer at 24-20. However, Cal State San Bernardino pulled away with a 30-23 win to force game four. Unfazed, the Tritons made the adjustments necessary to win game four.
“We had to pick up our passing,” Facchini said. “Our passing kind of went a little downhill, and it was hard for Teresa to get a good set. Passing is the big key for our team to be successful.”
The Tritons staved off a Coyote comeback by taking a 13-9 lead, with kills by Wilson and Koche. UCSD did not look back, and its clutch play closed out game four, 30-23.
“It was really good to have this game happen toward the latter half of our season and prepare us for playoffs; it gives us a taste of the teams we are going to see.”
The next Triton match is on Nov. 5 against Cal Poly Pomona at RIMAC Arena. First serve is at 7 p.m.
