The UCI Women’s Volleyball team (16-9, 9-6) defeated the UC San Diego Tritons (12-15, 5-10) at Liontree Arena in La Jolla on Thursday, Nov. 10. Despite a shaky start and numerous attempts to kill the momentum, UCI never came off the offensive.
The Anteaters started off rocky in the first set as early mistakes forced them to concede the lead to San Diego. Adding to their momentum, UCSD ended the first big rally of the game with a few key blocks, giving them a 5-2 lead.
However, it didn’t take long for the Anteaters to find their groove, capitalizing off key kills by sophomore opposite Ellen Veargason and redshirt junior middle blocker Kiani Stanton to eventually tie the game at seven points. The ‘Eaters took a 13-10 lead with a kill from junior middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu and subsequent blocks by Ofoegbu and Veargason, forcing a UCSD timeout.
The timeout did not kill the momentum. The Anteaters increased their lead with blocks from Veargason, Ofoegbu, Stanton, junior outside hitter Joy Umeh and sophomore outside hitter Marianna Bertolone, putting them ahead 21-14.
San Diego used their kills and an ace and let UCI make serving and hitting mistakes to cut the Triton’s deficit to 23-20, causing UCI head coach Ashlie Hain to burn a timeout. The break seemed to work, as out of the timeout the Anteaters showed little sign of slowing down, capitalizing off key kills from Ofoegbu to take the first set 25-21.
As set 2 began, the Anteaters made the first strike after scoring the first point with a kill from Stanton. The Tritons answered back by ending a lengthy rally with a block. This momentum didn’t last long though, as the next point was given to the Anteaters as the attack from SD got mixed up on who would hit the ball causing the ball to go into the net. This setback paved the way for the ‘Eaters to stay in an uneasy lead, the Tritons on their heels.
Point distribution got down to the wire. Just as San Diego was about to take the lead with a kill that had a touch by a UCI player, Coach Hain challenged the play by saying there was no touch. Coach Hain ended up winning the point, keeping UCI in the lead by a single point.
The Tritons tried to gain back momentum, to the point where freshman libero Kayla Uhlick slid and crashed into one of the gates after attempting to save the ball. The play was unsuccessful, giving UCI the advantage yet again.
As UCI gained another two points, UCSD head coach Ricci Luyties called a timeout in hopes of forging a comeback. Yet UCI’s offense was too much for the Tritons to handle as kills by Umeh, Ofoegbu and freshman outside hitter Kendra MacDonald overwhelmed the opposition and caused another timeout from head coach Ricci Luyties. With mistakes made by the Tritons and strong kills from the Anteaters, UCI earned a 25-16 victory in the second set.
Set 3 started well for UCI, gaining a lead through their kills and San Diego’s hitting errors. After four kills in a row by Bertalone, Umeh, Stanton and MacDonald, head coach Ricci Luyties was forced to call yet another timeout.
While the timeout didn’t discourage the Anteaters, the game was forcibly halted when junior defensive specialist Bailey Darnell took a powerful kill right to the nose, causing a nosebleed. The Tritons took the chance to regroup, slowly catching up to the Anteaters with powerful kills and answering any UCI mistakes.
San Diego had caught some momentum, but it wasn’t enough.Tritons’ head coach Ricci Luyties called a timeout with the Anteaters on the brink of winning the match with a 21-17 lead. The bid for killing the momentum failed. Out of the timeout, UCI answered with a block by Veargason and Ofoegbu, ending the match at 25-20.
With the win, UCI holds a 9-6 record for the Big West Conference at 16-9 overall, putting them in fourth place.
Seattle Barron is a Sports Intern for the fall 2022 quarter. She can be reached at skbarron@uci.edu.