The UCSD women’s volleyball team extended its winning streak to 15 games as it defeated Humboldt State and Sonoma State to close the regular season on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4, respectively.
With the pair of wins, the Tritons will likely be seeded second in the NCAA Division II Pacific Regional tournament on Nov. 9.
“”It’s single elimination from here on out and we have to leave our hearts on the floor,”” senior middle blocker Brianna Koche said. “”It might be the last game of our seniors’ careers and we don’t want to go out on a loss.””
The Tritons concluded regular season play on 1,500-mile road trip that left head coach Tom Black pleased with the team’s health last week.
“”I was really pleased with the way we handled ourselves on the long trip,”” Black said. “”We took care of ourselves and business.””
Sonoma State proved no contest for the bigger and better Triton squad as UCSD dismantled the Seawolves 30-27, 30-15, 30-19.
In game one, Sonoma State took an early 4-1 lead before the Tritons came storming back 15-11 on senior outside hitter Nicole Courtney’s ace. The Seawolves then tied the game at 16-16.
Junior outside hitter Rebecca Bailey put the Tritons up for good when she tallied one of her 11 kills of the night, putting UCSD up 26-23. Sonoma State kept it close, but the Tritons prevailed 30-27.
After a sluggish first game, the women kicked into gear and romped the Seawolves as was expected. Up 6-4 in game two, the team scored six straight points behind Courtney’s serving. Koche and senior setter Kristen Halvorsen recorded back-to-back blocks during the run as UCSD went up 12-4.
The Tritons cruised to a 30-15 game-two victory.
The Seawolves were able to keep game three a bit closer as the score was tied 14-14. UCSD went on a five-point run behind Halvorsen’s serve going up 19-14.
Freshman Sylvia Schmidt solidified the Tritons’ win with a kill, part of a small run that established the victory. Bailey put down back-to-back kills and Koche sent down the game-ender as the Tritons were victorious 30-19.
Koche led the team with 12 kills, seven digs and four blocks. Schmidt added nine kills to the effort.
“”We’re really excited because we’ve really improved the second half of the season,”” Koche said. “”We want to take that momentum into regionals and then hopefully nationals.””
Only a day earlier, UCSD dismissed Humboldt State in four games 30-24, 30-23, 31-33, 30-26.
The Tritons fell behind 5-0 in game one before a junior opposite Amber Ries and Koche block got UCSD on the board. The women tied the game at 7-7 before taking their first lead 9-8 on a Lumberjack ball-handling error.
With the game in favor of the Tritons 17-15, UCSD went on a 13-9 run to close out the first game 30-24.
In game two, the Tritons again fell behind early 8-4 before they went on a 10-0 run behind Halvorsen’s serves. Humboldt State pulled no closer than four points the rest of the way as UCSD took game two 30-23.
The Lumberjacks again took the early advantage in game three, this time sustaining it for a win. Down 7-13, UCSD tied the game 13-13 behind a serving run by Schmidt. The Lumberjacks maintained momentum going up 19-14 before the Tritons made things interesting tying the game 29-29.
Late errors proved the demise for the Tritons as UCSD fell 31-33.
“”We just told ourselves to take care of business and not be concerned,”” Koche said. “”We just wanted to win and come home.””
The Tritons finally got off to a good start in the fourth game, taking a commanding 8-2 lead. Humboldt State responded, closing the gap to 13-11, but UCSD failed to cave in.
The Lumberjacks got as close as 23-20 before the Tritons ran away with the win. Koche finished Humboldt State off with a kill.
Bailey led the team with 19 kills as Koche nearly recorded a triple-double in the league play finale tallying 12 kills, 10 blocks and eight digs.
The Tritons, now 23-2 overall and 18-2 in conference, finished second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association behind Cal State San Bernardino. The women move on to play in the Division II Pacific Regional, where eight teams will face each other with matches beginning Nov. 9. UCSD’s schedule was unknown at press time.