UC San Diego vs. Cal Poly Pomona – La Jolla, CA
The UC San Diego women’s volleyball team steered clear of any unlucky superstitious activity on Friday, Oct. 13, defeating conference opponent Cal Poly Pomona and protecting the Reis Cup for the second year in a row. The Reis Cup commemorates the life of Triton volleyball alumni, Karen Reis, who passed away in 2012 unexpectedly.
Upon dropping the first set of the night to the Broncos 18–25, UCSD swept the remaining games to finish the match 3–1. This win brought the Tritons to the top of the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings, tied with Sonoma State, with a mighty 8–1 record.
Senior outside hitter Amanda Colla continued her stellar senior year recording a total of 19 points off 17 kills, a solo block, and a service ace, on top of a well-deserved Reis Cup Most Valuable Player award. Colla’s 16 digs secured her another double-double, adding to her 11 others for the 2017 season.
UCSD prevailed among a competitive back-and-forth second set to tie up the match and carried the aggressive momentum moving forward. Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Rieble executed on a service ace to capture the set 30–28. Rieble also tallied nine kills, four digs, and four blocks.
The Tritons played their best in the fourth set, computing a .350 attack percentage in a 25–15 set victory. Sophomore outside hitter Jessyca Beksa had an excellent .464 attack percentage with 14 kills in 28 attempts. Junior outside hitter Molly Dalziel added eight kills and 15 digs to wrap-up UCSD’s five-game winning streak.
UC San Diego vs. Cal State San Bernardino – La Jolla, CA
The Tritons dropped their first home match of the year on Saturday, Oct. 14 to CCAA rival Cal State San Bernardino. Although falling to an 8–2 conference record, UC San Diego still remains in control of the South Division.
UCSD kept the point difference under four in all but one set, unfortunately coming up short 1–3 at the end of the night. Colla put on another incredible display, documenting a career-high of 24.5 points from 23 kills, one service ace, and a block assist. She also recorded 14 digs.
A .308 attack percentage in the second set anchored a successful 25–22 UCSD set win, but it was not enough to withstand a powerful 57 kills and 11 team blocks from the Coyotes.
Rieble contributed nine kills, one block solo, and three block assists to accumulate 11.5 points for the Tritons. Beksa followed close behind on the outside with 11 kills and Dalziel totaled nine kills, two assists, and 13 digs. Sophomore libero Alyson Penrose led the team in both digs and assists with 26 and five respectively.
The Coyotes broke the Tritons’ 6–0 record in RIMAC Arena this season by holding higher attack percentages in each set. There were 19 total tie scores and eight total lead changes in which Cal State San Bernardino came out on top this time around.
UC San Diego will take this week to prepare for Sonoma State on Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in Rohnert Park.
