VOLLEYBALL ‘mdash; On the verge of playoff elimination, No. 10 UCSD (12-14, 8-13 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) had a rollercoaster weekend at RIMAC Arena against No. 3 Cal State Northridge and No. 13 UC Santa Barbara. The Tritons nearly forced a fifth set on April 10, before falling in four to the Matadors. UCSD then defeated UCSB on April 11 in five sets, keeping playoff hopes alive.
‘With CSUN we stayed down for a little too long, but we came back against UCSB and finished strong,’ senior middle blocker Gerald Houseman said.
After Friday’s loss to the Matadors, the Tritons found themselves in a must-win situation on Saturday against UCSB (8-18, 4-17 MPSF) with UCSD’s first-ever postseason berth on the line. Playing most of Saturday’s game from behind, the Tritons eventually overcame the early deficit, taking the five-set victory.
UCSD won the first set, hitting at a .423 clip compared to the Gauchos’ .148. Holding on to a slim lead, the Tritons widened their advantage margin to 24-20 on the backs of Fritsch and Houseman, leading to a 30-26 win.
After a kill from junior opposite hitter Jason Spangler opened the second set, the Gauchos went on a scoring spree, sending down 10 straight points and ultimately taking the set 30-21.
The third set wasn’t much of an improvement for the Tritons, as they were coming off a set in which they hit for a negative percentage. After trailing by five early on, UCSD rallied to come within two points. However, UCSB went on an 8-3 run, putting the set out of reach for the Tritons.
UCSD finally showed life in set four, when a block from Houseman and sophomore setter Phil Bannan combined with two Fritsch kills broke a tie and gave the Tritons a 24-20 lead. UCSD forced a fifth set after redshirt sophomore outside hitter Will Ehrman sent down the match point.
The Tritons took an 8-6 lead in the fifth set after a service error before the Gauchos stormed back, tying the score at 11. A UCSD attack error gave the Gauchos a 12-11 lead, but the Tritons immediately answered on a Fritsch kill to tie it at 12 before a UCSB attack error put the Tritons back on top. UCSB tied it again at 13, but another Gaucho attack error and an Ehrman kill ended the game and match at a 15-13 UCSD advantage.
‘The UCSB game was kind of up and down for us playing wise, but we were able to turn it around in the fourth and fifth game when it counted and came out with the win,’ Bannan said.
Fritsch led the Tritons with 21 kills, while Ehrman added 16 kills and 10 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Calvin Ross and Houseman added nine kills each. Houseman and Ross had eight blocks apiece while Phil Bannan recorded seven blocks, six digs and 56 assists.
Friday night, the Tritons gave the Cal State Northridge Matadors (22-5, 15-5 MPSF) a battle to remember on their home court. In the game, the Tritons were barely outhit: .276 to .261. Fritsch sent down 26 kills and Spangler added 22 kills as UCSD nearly forced a fifth set. The fourth set featured 21 ties and 10 lead changes.
After taking the first set, Cal State Northridge carried an early 10-8 lead in the second.
UCSD then went on an 11-4 tear, making the score 19-14. With a tied score at 28, Cal State Northridge took the lead on a kill. Spangler answered back with a kill of his own and two Cal State Northridge errors gave UCSD the win.
Cal State Northridge dominated the third set early before the Tritons rallied to cut the deficit to two. The Matadors quickly fenced off UCSD, closing the door on the set with a 10-4 run.
In the seesaw grudge match that was the fourth set, both teams serv
ed for the win; it was a never-ending story, going back and forth multiple times. Following a UCSD service error, a Matador block finally ended the match at 38-36.
The Tritons will play again on Friday night at RIMAC against Cal State Long Beach.
‘I think we might have a chance still to make playoffs depending on how other teams finish up their seasons,’ Bannan said. ‘So we will have to wait and see how that turns out.’
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