The No. 2 UCSD women’s volleyball team clinched its first ever California Collegiate Athletic Association title in its 3-0 (30-16, 30-13, 30-25) sweep of Cal State Monterey Bay on Nov. 12 in Seaside, Calif. They played their final match of the regular season on Nov. 13 against Sonoma State in Rohnert Park, Calif., and easily picked up another 3-0 (31-29, 30-21, 30-10) win to finish the regular season undefeated in the CCAA, going 18-0.
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The team awaits official word of their schedule in the NCAA Division II Pacific Regional playoffs, which will be held from Nov. 18 to Nov. 21. UCSD’s RIMAC Arena is one of the sites being considered for host of the Pacific Regionals.
The Tritons finish the season with a 28-1 overall record, their only loss coming against University of Minnesota-Duluth on Sept. 4. Since its loss, UCSD has been unstoppable, winning 19 consecutive matches, including 16 sweeps.
Cal State Monterey Bay was no match for the Tritons; the Otters posted a .000 hitting percentage to UCSD’s .218. The Tritons dominated in every offensive and defensive category, although Cal State Monterey Bay’s Brittany Etchings had 10 kills in the losing effort.
A pair of senior outside hitters, Bonnie Wilson and Stacy Dunsmore, led the UCSD attack, with Wilson recording nine kills and seven digs and Dunsmore adding eight kills and 11 digs. Senior middle blocker Katie Hogan added seven kills and two solo blocks. The Triton bench also contributed in the win, with sophomore outside hitter Francesca Centofanti recording seven kills and sophomore setter Kimberly Adams adding 11 assists, splitting duties with senior setter Teresa Ohta, who distributed 19 assists.
With the playoffs looming, the UCSD starters played solidly in their final regular season match against Sonoma State the following night. Once again, the Tritons outhit their opponents, .367 to .128, including a huge .516 attack percentage in the third game. Ohta ran a smooth offense, with 47 assists, and Wilson led all players with 15 kills to hit for .400, and chipped in 14 digs. Dunsmore tallied 10 kills and eight digs while Hogan also had 10 kills to hit for .533, including four blocks. Senior middle blocker Kendra Canape and junior outside hitter Lindsay Crandell registered eight kills apiece. Canape hit .500 and Crandell also added an ace. Freshman libero Natalie Facchini led all players with 18 digs and served well in the match, recording four aces.
The Seawolves’ Megan Dierker and Mindy Orth registered nine and eight kills, respectively. The Seawolves’ defense fell apart as the match progressed and could only muster two team blocks, compared to the Tritons’ eight.
Comments for both matches were unavailable at press time.
On Nov. 11, Wilson was one of six athletes named to the College Sports Information Directors of America 2004 All-Academic District VIII College Division First Team for women’s volleyball. She was awarded for her excellence on the court and in the classroom. A human development major and psychology minor, Wilson currently holds a 3.81 GPA. In addition, she averaged a team-leading 4.41 kills per game and posted a team-high 12 double- doubles (in kills and digs) during the season. She also set a record for highest hitting percentage, with .909 in a game, on Sept. 17 against Grand Canyon. Wilson previously earned two other awards this season, including All-Tournament honors in the UCSD Tournament in August and the Premier Challenge in September.
