Tritons hold Bakersfield to 22 kills and sweep the Roadrunners to open the final homestand
UC San Diego beat Cal State Bakersfield 25-21, 25-22 and 25-17 on Friday evening at LionTree Arena, recording 12 blocks and seven aces in a Big West match that left both teams 8-7 in conference play.
LA JOLLA: UC San Diego won a match built on defense on Friday evening, sweeping Cal State Bakersfield 25-21, 25-22 and 25-17 at LionTree Arena. The Tritons are 12-14 overall and 8-7 in the Big West; the Roadrunners are 13-14 and also 8-7, and the win pulled UC San Diego level with Bakersfield in the conference race with the postseason approaching.
Bakersfield managed only 22 kills and a .011 hitting percentage against the Triton block. UC San Diego recorded 12 blocks and seven service aces, hit .146 and posted a 72.6 percent side out rate. Gia Rivera led the Tritons with nine kills and 12 points, adding four block assists and an ace. Lucia Barroso posted a team high seven total blocks, one solo and six assisted, with four kills. Brynne McGhie finished with 22 assists, six digs and two aces, and Paulina Baillie collected a team high 13 digs with an ace.
The second set turns from five points down
The opening set broke open at 14-14, when four straight Triton points, on a Barroso kill, a Rivera ace and a block shared by Barroso and Molly McCluskey, made it 18-14. Bakersfield closed to 22-21 before a Rivera kill and the final two points settled the set. In the second, UC San Diego trailed 13-8 and answered with six straight points on Ireland McNees serving, through kills by Madison Johnson and Rivera and a block by Yasemin Elmas and Johnson. Tied again at 22-22, the Tritons took the last three points on a Johnson kill, a Rivera and Johnson block and a McNees ace.
The third set opened with four straight Triton points, Rivera scoring from Marleena Catalan and Baillie serving an ace, and UC San Diego stayed in front the rest of the way. McNees added three kills and an ace in the set, and Rivera closed the match with a kill from Catalan after Bakersfield had cut the lead to 22-16. The two teams combined for 30 service errors, 18 by the Tritons and 12 by the Roadrunners, whose only ace of the night stood against seven for UC San Diego.
Two Tritons are closing on career marks: McCluskey is three kills from 1,000 and McGhie is 13 assists from 1,000. UC San Diego is 6-1 in three set matches this season and now leads the all time series with Bakersfield 25-17, and 7-4 in Division I. The Tritons wrap up the home schedule on Saturday at 5 p.m. against CSUN at LionTree Arena, and will honor six graduating seniors after the match: Catalan, Elmas, Dillyn Griffin, Katelyn Hernandez, McGhie and McNees.
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