UC San Diego women’s volleyball lost to Northwestern in four sets on Sunday at LionTree Arena. The match marked the first meeting between the two teams, with the Tritons falling 21-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-25. The Tritons’ record now stands at 1-2 for the season, while Northwestern remains undefeated at 3-0.
Molly McCluskey led UC San Diego with a career-high 29 kills on 61 attempts and hit .295. She also contributed two service aces and eight digs, totaling 33 points. Jasmine Saran stood out defensively with seven blocks, including two solo efforts.
Maija Nepszy provided 41 assists over four sets to lead the team in that category. Paulina Baillie recorded a team-high ten digs and added nine assists.
The Tritons opened the first set with a five-point run but lost momentum as Northwestern capitalized on attack errors and took the set. In the second set, McCluskey’s five kills helped keep UC San Diego close before Northwestern pulled ahead late.
In the third set, after an early deficit, key plays from Afonso and McCluskey allowed the Tritons to rally. Saran’s back-to-back blocks and a decisive kill by McCluskey secured a win for UC San Diego in that set.
Northwestern controlled most of the fourth set despite efforts from Afonso and Stefania Alupei. The Wildcats extended their lead through consistent play and took the final set to clinch the match.
“Molly McCluskey recorded a new career high 29 kills in the match, finishing two kills shy of the program’s all-time single match record.”
The starting lineup for UC San Diego included Paulina Baillie, Molly McCluskey, Ireland McNees, Maija Nepszy, Jasmine Saran and Kayla Uhlick.
Next weekend, UC San Diego will compete in Idaho at the Boise State Classic against Boise State, Oregon State and Arizona. Matches will be streamed on Mountain West Network with live statistics available on UCSDTritons.com.
UC San Diego Athletics transitioned to NCAA Division I membership in The Big West Conference in 2020 after success in Division II. Over its history in Divisions II and III, UC San Diego earned numerous national championships and academic honors among its student-athletes.
