Consistency has been the theme for the No. 2 UCSD women’s volleyball team thus far. As evidenced by UCSD’s 17-1 record, head coach Duncan McFarland can count on his starters to step up to the task in any given game.
Guided by senior setter Teresa Ohta’s 93 total assists, the Triton starters feasted on opponents Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal Poly Pomona on Oct. 1 and Oct. 2. Against host Cal State Dominguez Hills, UCSD dominated the Toros in three games, 30-19, 30-23, 30-21. The Tritons hit .476, with three players recording kills in double digits: senior outside hitter Stacy Dunsmore (14), senior outside hitter Bonnie Wilson (11) and junior outside hitter Lindsay Crandell (10). Wilson and Ohta also added 11 and seven digs, respectively.
“Our offense was working very well,” McFarland said. “We passed a little bit better than normal; Teresa had a consistent passing game which really got our offense fired up. In our third game, we hit .576, which is extremely good.”
Although the Tritons swept the match, they had to contain the Toros’ middle blockers, Keesha Aldridge and Vivian Maxie. Aldrige tied Dunsmore in kills, with 14, followed by Maxie with nine.
“Cal State Dominguez Hills has a couple of good middle attackers,” McFarland said. “[Aldridge and Maxie] are tall and very athletic; these two attackers were consistently effective against us.”
But UCSD’s solid passing and attacking proved to be too much for the Toros, who dropped to 9-7 overall with the loss.
UCSD traveled to Cal Poly Pomona to conclude its brief two-game road trip where the Broncos (11-7) were hoping to end a spell of six straight losses to its California Collegiate Athletic Association opponent. But the Tritons continued to have the Broncos’ number, sweeping them in a thriller, 30-19, 33-31, 30-24. Wilson and Canape contributed 14 and 10 kills, respectively, while Ohta registered 47 assists.
Cal Poly Pomona juniors Allison Anderson and Kellie Francis each added 12 kills while freshman setter Emily Kennedy had 34 assists in the losing effort.
Repeating its performance from the previous match, UCSD came out strong, winning the first game easily.
“In the first game, I felt like we were in control,” McFarland said. “We were serving tough, passing well, and we hit .500.”
But Cal Poly Pomona, determined to break its losing streak, rallied back in the second game to save four game points. Francis, who peppered UCSD with six kills in game two, led the Broncos’ comeback attempt. However, the Tritons capitalized on poor passing by the Broncos, and Crandell notched a kill to win the second game.
Down two games, Cal Poly Pomona desperately tried to snatch game three from the Tritons. It came close at 26-23, but UCSD did not falter as Wilson clinched the victory with a kill to complete the sweep.
“We realized we were in for more of a battle,” McFarland said. “But a couple of calls against Teresa’s sets got her fired up, and Kendra also got fired up, and they led the charge. Teresa attacked six times and got five kills with no errors.”
Another Triton playing an important role was freshman libero Natalie Facchini, who has provided solid defense for the Tritons thus far.
“She had 18 digs, almost twice as many as any other [UCSD] player,” McFarland said. “She has done a good job for us; she has a good defense and passes very well.”
UCSD returns home to face Sonoma State for the first of two matches this season. Last year, the Tritons took the regular season series, sweeping the Seawolves in both matchups. McFarland’s team will be looking to stop Sonoma State’s Erin Manly and Megan Dierker, who each registered double digits in kills against UCSD. The teams will face off on Oct. 8 at RIMAC Arena beginning at 7 p.m.
