Molly McCluskey delivers 22 kills and a double-double, Gia Rivera posts a career-high 20 kills and Kaliya Ndiaye records 10 blocks as the Tritons suffer their third consecutive five-set loss.
New Mexico State rallied past UC San Diego 24-26, 25-20, 20-25, 25-23, 15-11 Friday night at the Pan American Center, handing the Tritons another narrow five-set defeat despite a commanding advantage at the net.
UC San Diego fell to 2-5 overall, while New Mexico State improved to 5-4.
The Tritons outblocked the Aggies 14-5 and hit .244 for the match, but New Mexico State produced a 68-64 advantage in kills and seized control of the fifth set with a decisive five-point run.
The final result continued an unusual and frustrating stretch for UC San Diego. The Tritons have played three consecutive five-set matches and lost all three — despite being outscored by just one combined point across those contests.
Molly McCluskey Powers UC San Diego With 22 Kills
Molly McCluskey delivered one of the strongest performances of the night, leading UC San Diego with 22 kills and 25 points while hitting an efficient .357.
She added 13 digs and six total blocks to secure her fifth double-double of the season.
McCluskey was especially dangerous with the match hanging in the balance, recording five kills in the fifth set as UC San Diego attempted to erase New Mexico State’s late advantage.
She had plenty of offensive help.
Freshman Gia Rivera delivered a breakthrough performance with career highs of 20 kills and 22 points while adding four blocks. It marked the first 20-kill match of Rivera’s collegiate career.
Hard bullet by Rivera!😬
📺 https://t.co/0PykfG3Vt3
📊 https://t.co/xMckfgTkDK#GoTritons pic.twitter.com/EwLuurZ25v
Ireland McNees gave the Tritons a third player in double figures, finishing with 14 kills.
Setter Marleena Catalan established a career high with 49 assists and added 14 digs, recording her second consecutive double-double.
But perhaps UC San Diego’s most imposing performance came at the net.
Kaliya Ndiaye made her first collegiate start and responded with a match-high 10 total blocks, helping the Tritons dominate the Aggies in that category.
Paulina Baillie added a match-high 16 digs defensively.
Tritons Rally to Steal Opening Set
New Mexico State appeared to have control early, building a 16-10 advantage midway through the opening set.
UC San Diego refused to let it get away.
The Tritons erased a 21-18 deficit and moved ahead 23-22 behind a McNees service ace. New Mexico State eventually tied the score at 24, but Rivera answered with a kill before combining with Ndiaye for a block that secured a 26-24 UC San Diego victory.
The second set was considerably more volatile.
There were 11 ties and nine lead changes before New Mexico State finally created separation with a four-point run that gave the Aggies a 20-17 advantage.
UC San Diego pulled within 21-20 on a Rivera kill, but NMSU responded by scoring the final four points to take the set 25-20 and even the match.
UC San Diego Regains Control in Third Set
The Tritons dictated the pace early in the third.
Four consecutive points with McNees serving helped UC San Diego establish an 8-2 lead.
New Mexico State eventually fought back to within 20-18, but Rivera delivered another kill before Ndiaye and McCluskey combined for a block to stop the Aggies’ momentum.
McCluskey then finished the set with a kill off a Catalan assist, giving UC San Diego a 25-20 victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Tritons were one set from closing out their first five-set victory of the season.
Instead, the Aggies mounted their comeback.
New Mexico State Forces Fifth Set After Wild Fourth
UC San Diego again started quickly in the fourth, jumping ahead 6-2 behind two kills apiece from McNees and McCluskey.
Then the match changed.
New Mexico State ripped off a 10-1 scoring run, transforming the early deficit into an advantage and eventually building a 17-8 lead.
UC San Diego could have folded.
It did the opposite.
The Aggies pushed the lead to 24-21, but Rivera delivered another kill before Ndiaye and McCluskey combined for a block, pulling UC San Diego within 24-23.
New Mexico State finally ended the comeback attempt with a kill, taking the fourth 25-23 and sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
Five-Point Aggies Run Decides Another Five-Set Battle
Neither team could establish control early in the fifth.
UC San Diego and New Mexico State were deadlocked at 8 before the Aggies delivered the defining stretch of the match.
NMSU scored five consecutive points to take a 13-8 lead, suddenly leaving the Tritons with almost no margin for error.
McCluskey tried to ignite one final rally.
Her late kills helped UC San Diego close within 14-11, but New Mexico State secured the final point and a 15-11 victory to complete the five-set comeback.
The result dropped UC San Diego to 0-3 all-time against New Mexico State.
Tritons’ Five-Set Numbers Tell Story of Razor-Thin Margin
The Tritons’ record in their past three matches does not fully reflect how closely they have played their opponents.
UC San Diego has gone five sets in each of those contests and lost all three.
Yet the combined scoring margin across the three matches is minus-1.
That statistic underscores how little has separated the Tritons from potentially producing a dramatically different result during the early portion of the season.
Against New Mexico State, UC San Diego had three players with at least 14 kills, dominated the blocking battle and captured two of the first three sets.
But the Aggies won the critical stretches late in the fourth and fifth.
For a young UC San Diego team, converting those narrow margins into victories becomes the next challenge.
UC San Diego Heads to El Paso to Face UTEP
There is little time for the Tritons to dwell on another close loss.
The Tritons will arrive looking to turn several encouraging individual performances into a complete victory.
McCluskey is producing double-doubles. Rivera has now demonstrated 20-kill potential. Catalan is coming off consecutive double-doubles. And Ndiaye’s 10-block performance in her first collegiate start gives UC San Diego another potentially significant presence at the net.
The pieces were evident Friday night.
Now the Tritons need to finish.
======
-- By Michael R. Thomas
© Copyright 2026 JWT Communications. All rights reserved. This article cannot be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or distributed in any form without written permission.
No comments:
Post a Comment