UC San Diego women’s volleyball (6-22, 4-12 Big West) came into its Friday, Nov. 14, matchup against UC Riverside (8-18, 4-12 Big West) at LionTree Arena looking to get back on track after a 3-1 loss to Cal Poly one week prior. The Tritons were ultimately bested by the Highlanders in four sets, marking the team’s second straight loss.
Entering the match, both UCSD and UCR sat near the bottom of the Big West standings — in eighth and ninth place, respectively — but you wouldn’t have been able to tell by the energy in the building. Fans on both sides cheered raucously for their teams.
Head coach Melanie Greene was not present at the game for a third straight contest. Assistant coach Kara Barkdoll Coy served as acting head coach, and men’s volleyball head coach Brad Rostratter filled in as an assistant coach.
The first point of the night went to the Highlanders, who pulled away early in the match. However, the Tritons answered with a series of dramatic plays; senior middle blocker Jasmine Saran barely kept the ball from the ground with a swooping dive, sophomore defensive specialist Paulina Baillie accidentally launched the ball toward a teammate’s face and over the net, and double kills by sophomore outside hitter Molly McCluskey — who accounts for 28% of the team’s overall kills this season — evened the score at 14. The play was aggressive from both sides, especially at the net — and the scoring reflected it.
Unfortunately for the Tritons, the Highlanders went on a 4-0 scoring run to retake the lead. UCR maintained its advantage for the rest of the set, scoring the final 3 points on a series of Triton errors. The Highlanders took the first set, 25-20.
The electric play continued into the second set, with UCSD taking an early lead. The Triton defense was hard at work; senior outside hitter Katie Rapp scored a block assist that nearly nailed a Highlander on its way down. The teams traded points as the Tritons matched the Highlanders from 15-15 to 23-23. The Highlanders gained back the lead momentarily at 24-23, but McCluskey scored a kill, a delicate tip over the net, forcing a second-set point. However, after a UCSD net violation, UCR ultimately won the second set, 26-24.
The third set opened with a Highlander kill, but junior outside hitter Ireland McNees answered with a service ace — her 12th of the season. Two punishing kills by McCluskey and a block by Saran put the Tritons up 9-5. The Highlanders rallied to gain some ground, but a series of kills by McNees and McCluskey kept them at bay, and the Tritons maintained their advantage, 15-11. McNees finished off the set with an impressive 3-point run — kill, block, kill — and the Tritons clinched it 25-19.
The arena was crackling with excitement going into the fourth set when Saran slammed down a kill to open the scoring. The Highlanders swiftly jumped ahead with a 4-0 scoring run, but the Tritons were quick to turn it around, briefly taking an 8-7 lead. However, their momentum stalled when Saran took a ball to the face. She was checked on the court for a concussion and was cleared to continue playing, but the damage was done. The Highlanders went on two uninterrupted scoring runs, 3-0 and 6-0, to put the Tritons at an 8-point disadvantage. Although the Tritons rallied in the second half of the set to hold off the final point four times, it wasn’t enough. UCR clinched the set 25-18, winning the match 3-1.
McNees led the Tritons with 19 kills, and McCluskey was close behind with 14. Other standouts included a Saran-Rapp combo, who totaled eight blocks. This was the seventh game of the season that UCSD lost in four sets, and the 21st overall loss in the season — a dismal record compared to 2024’s 17-13.
The loss eliminated the Tritons from Big West Championship contention. The regular season continued against UC Davis at home on Saturday, Nov. 15, but the Tritons tallied their third consecutive 3-1 loss. UCSD’s last home game will be on Tuesday, Nov. 18, against Long Beach State, before the season wraps up in Honolulu against Hawai’i on Friday, Nov. 20.
