The No. 13 UCSD women’s volleyball team handled the distraction of the first days of classes by scoring a tough four-game victory over Cal State Monterey Bay 23-30, 32-30, 30-25 and 30-27 on Sept. 22 in Seaside, Calif.
Sophomore offensive hitter Cassey Wilson aims high for her team, which downed Cal State Monterey Bay in four games, the most the Tritons have played in a match this season.
“[Starting school] is definitely a transition,” sophomore outside hitter Rebecca Bailey said. “We’re anxious to start because we want to meet new people but more importantly, the fans don’t come until classes begin.”
Cal State Monterey Bay broke UCSD’s season-long streak of only playing three-game matches. The Tritons had either swept or have been swept in 2006 up until Friday night’s match against the Otters. It was the longest streak in school history, beating the 1994 team’s eight-game streak.
Senior co-captain Nicole Courtney led the team with 15 kills, while junior opposite Amber Ries added 14 of her own. Bailey and senior co-captain Brianna Koche gave UCSD 11 more each. Junior defensive specialist and libero Natalie Facchini dug up 21 hits in the match.
The Tritons take a deep dig, showing that every moment counts as they advanced to their third consecutive win on Sept. 22.
The team improved to 11-2 overall and 6-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with the triumph.
The Tritons returned after two away games Sept. 20 and didn’t disappoint the fairly large home crowd by quickly disposing of Cal State Dominguez Hills 30-18, 30-17, 30-24 at RIMAC Arena.
“It was really fun to have the students and the crowd again,” Black said.
Koche agreed, crediting the Triton Tide for the intensified play.
“[The fans] really get us fired up and make playing much more exciting,” Koche said.
In game one, UCSD took a 6-3 lead after Koche recorded back-to-back blocks. The ladies got on a roll after freshman middle blocker Sylvia Schmidt scored a big kill to put the Tritons on top by two, 8-6. After a 12-3 scoring run by the home team, visiting Cal State Dominguez Hills called a timeout, trying to kill the Triton’s momentum.
Courtney thought otherwise, digging a tough hit and then putting away the kill for an 18-11 advantage. The game ended on a Toro hitting error, giving UCSD the 30-18 win.
UCSD jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in game two. After a double block by Koche and Bailey, the Tritons built an 8-1 advantage and pushed it to 10-1 on a Koche kill.
Some controversy arose after the Toros celebrated a kill that they thought brought them within four, but the referee called a back-row attack and awarded UCSD the point, giving the Tritons a 12-6 lead.
Koche said that the Tritons’ poise helped them take command of the game.
“We were really focused and in our element,” she said. “We were just ready for the next play and to get on the ball again.”
The Tritons used the favorable call, running to a 22-13 lead and finishing with a 30-17 win.
The ladies also controlled game three, building an early 11-2 advantage.
“We’ve really been working on our service and return games and we’re trying to create the runs,” Black said. “It just happened at the beginning of the game against [Dominguez Hills].”
The Tritons were forced to call a timeout after the Toros went on a 5-1 run that brought the score to 28-23. Sophomore middle blocker Hannah Gary emphatically put away the final point, giving UCSD its second consecutive victory.
Ries and Courtney each scored 10 kills while Koche added five blocks and six kills to the effort. Sophomore outside hitter Casey Wilson tallied four aces for the match.
The Tritons now have a week off for the first time all season.
“It’s really nice to have the week off because it gives us time to work on the things that we really need to perfect before our next match,” Bailey said.
UCSD returns to action Sept. 29 to take on Sonoma State at 7 p.m. in RIMAC Arena.
“Every team in our league is great and we need to prepare for a tough opponent in Sonoma State,” Black said.
