UC San Diego Women’s Volleyball (17–12, 9–8 Big West) took on Long Beach State (19–8, 13–4 Big West) on senior night at LionTree Arena. Senior night was a spectacle for the Tritons’ graduating seniors, who were honored in front of a crowd of 394. Unfortunately for the Tritons, they would fall flat on senior night, losing 3–0 to Long Beach State.
Compared to the standards the Tritons had set throughout the season, Tuesday’s loss was a poor performance. Despite ending their season on a four-game losing streak (after their loss against Hawaii on Friday), the Tritons had an overall good season, ending 2023 with a winning record.
The first set started very slow for the Tritons as they fell to an early 8–3 deficit. After a timeout from Head Coach Ricci Luyties, the Tritons started to fight back. After a service error from Long Beach State, the Tritons scored 6 of the next 7 points to bring the set to 12–10, only a two-point lead for the Beach.
Unfortunately this comeback was not enough, as Long Beach State rattled off 6 straight points — pushing their lead to 18–10. Eventually, the Beach would close out the first set without much trouble, winning 25–19. It proved to be a very slow first set for the Tritons, who hoped to bounce back in the second set.
The second set started much better for the Tritons, as a service ace from freshman setter Lauren Brooker gave them their first lead of the match at 4–5. Woefully for the Tritons, Long Beach State would then go on to score 8 of the next 11 points in the set, retaking the lead at 12–7.
The Tritons tried their best to get back into the set. A kill from junior outside hitter Ava McInnes would bring the score back to within 2 points, at 14–12. However, the Tritons would go on to concede another huge run to the Beach, as they scored 8 of the next 9 points, bringing their lead out of reach for the Tritons. Long Beach State eventually closed out the set at 25–17, bringing their overall lead to 2–0 in the match.
The third set was the most competitive of this match. The Tritons started out strong, taking their first huge lead of the match off the back of a kill from McInnes, making the score 4–8. Unfortunately, Long Beach charged back into the game, scoring 5 of the next 6 available points. It seemed like Long Beach again was going to go on a run and pull away from the Tritons, as they scored 5 straight points to make the score 14–11. For the first time, however, the Tritons struck back, scoring 4 straight points to take the lead at 14–15.
The Tritons would later go on another run of 4 straight points to take a 3-point lead at 17–20, with the last point off another service ace from Brooker. Long Beach State would then go on to score 3 straight points to bring it back to a tie game at 20–20. After multiple grueling back-and-forth battles, Long Beach State was able to pull away, taking the lead at 24–22.
The Tritons almost completed the comeback, as a kill from junior outside hitter Zaria Henderson brought the Tritons within one point, at 24–23. Unfortunately, Long Beach was able to close out the set, scoring the final point at 25–23 to end the match as a 3–0 sweep.
When asked how the team can improve for next season, Luyties said that “it comes down to our passing, serving, and receiving. When we get out of control in those things it really makes the game difficult for us.”
The Tritons had a great season and looked very promising throughout many games this season. Unfortunately, they could not finish as strong as they would have liked, losing their last four games. The future is bright for the Triton’s women’s volleyball team, who will continue to improve in the Big West Conference.
