In a record-setting senior night triumph, UC San Diego women’s volleyball (17-12,11-7 Big West) crushed the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (12-18, 6-12 Big West) in straight sets 25-17, 25-22, 25-22 on Saturday night at LionTree Arena. The Tritons swept the court in a dominant opening set victory. Strong Roadrunner defense made the next two sets nail-bitingly close, but UCSD pulled away from ties to take them both 25-22.
The match concluded UCSD’s first regular season eligible for NCAA play. This victory also secured UCSD’s spot in the Big West Championship, which kicks off on Wednesday.
Coming off a three-game losing streak, the Tritons needed to defeat the Roadrunners to earn a spot in the Big West bracket. The starting six were undaunted by the stakes. They came onto the court beaming, their joy tangible, after honoring the six graduating athletes for senior night.
CSU Bakersfield started off strong, scoring the first point of the match on a Triton attack error. Unfazed, UCSD then went on an 8-0 scoring run, building a gap that the Roadrunners would not be able to close.
“We play amazing when we’re happy, so when we’re smiling on the court, when we’re playing for each other, we always click,” senior middle blocker Emily McDaniel said in a postgame interview with The UCSD Guardian. “So, in the first set, we clicked really well. We were playing for each other with smiles on our faces, and we crushed it.”
McDaniel and senior outside hitter Ava McInnes shone, leading UCSD in kills for the match. McInnes went into her senior night only seven kills away from breaking UCSD’s all-time career kill record. Motivated, perhaps, by the prospect of carving her name in the record book in what could’ve been her last game as a Triton, McInnes tormented the Roadrunners. Whenever she touched the ball, UCSD extended its lead.
Armed with a height advantage and eager to claim their first-ever Big West Championship spot, the Tritons denied Bakersfield’s offensive plays. UCSD maintained their lead and decisively claimed the first set 25-17, after graduate student outside hitter Kylie Pries sent a kill past the Roadrunners.
“We know we have more to give, and if we stay disciplined and stick to our game plan, then this team is capable of huge things,” McInnes said after the game. “And so, we came into this game fighting, and it was awesome to see us play well.”
However, the second set saw the Tritons easing up on the pressure, lacking a cohesive defense to match that of the Roadrunners. Bakersfield took advantage of the lag and netted the first 3 points; the Tritons remained unresponsive until McInnes’ kill put them on the board, making it 3-1. The Roadrunners stayed in the fight, with both teams trading the lead, repeatedly tying or pulling 1 point ahead of the other.
With UCSD down 1 point, McInnes slammed the ball past the Roadrunners to tie it 11-11 — and break UCSD’s all-time career kill record. Cheers erupted from the stands as McInnes celebrated with her teammates on the court. It was her 1525th career kill.
“It feels awesome,” McInnes said in a postgame interview with The Guardian. “I’m super proud of all the hard work and everything I presented to volleyball, and to have that outcome is awesome. But, of course, I could not do [it] without my team and my coaches.”
Newly energized, UCSD regained some of its earlier momentum and fought the Roadrunners for every point, tying it for the last time at 21-21. The second set was anyone’s to take.
The Tritons ultimately came out on top, thanks to defensive specialists freshman Paulina Baillie and sophomore Iris Canko. The pair made last-second digs to keep UCSD alive long enough for Pries to score a kill and put UCSD in the lead 22-21. From there, the Tritons hurtled toward match point, taking the second set 25-22.
The close play continued in the third set, with UCSD only pulling ahead with a narrow lead of 23-21. McInnes returned to the court to bring home the win — and she delivered. She struck a kill past the Roadrunners’ defense, sending her team into an uproar and on their way to their first Big West Championship appearance. UCSD took the third set 25-22 in a decisive senior night victory.
“We had a little bit more intensity tonight because we were playing for the seniors,” McDaniel said. “We always play for each other at the end of the day, and I don’t think the fear of losing was ever on our mind. It was just always the excitement of winning.”
From saying goodbye to the six graduating athletes on a high note to forging their path into the postseason, the Tritons have a lot to be proud of.
UCSD capped off the game with a hitting percentage of .284 to Bakersfield’s .132. McInnes led the Tritons with 15 kills, followed closely by McDaniel and then Pries. UCSD’s offense will sorely miss the graduating trio, but they leave the team in good hands with freshman powerhouses Baillie and setter Audrey Hollis. Hollis racked up 39 assists and Baillie 13 digs to end the last match of the regular season on a high note.
No. 5 seed UCSD will face No. 4 seed Long Beach State in Irvine on Wednesday, Nov. 27, for the first round of Big West Championship play. The Tritons fell to the Beach 3-0 and 3-1 in their regular season matchups this year, but with a revitalized team and a spot in the Big West tournament, UCSD hopes to continue its unprecedented performance in the postseason.
