SAN DIEGO – California volleyball closed out its first weekend of the 2022 season with a tough drawn-out battle against the UC San Diego Tritons (2-0), each coming off of wins on Friday and looking to continue that momentum throughout the rest of the San Diego State Tournament. Junior Lydia Grote was, for the second straight day, the standout for Cal as she posted a career-high 22 kills in a 5-set Saturday afternoon thriller. Despite the Bears holding the Tritons to a .125 hitting percentage, Cal eventually lost, 2-3, to bring its record to 2-1 on the season.
The Bears started off the match with three straight kills – two for Grote and one for freshman Peyton DeJardin – before exchanging in a back-and-forth with the Tritons that lasted until UCSD kicked off a 6-0 scoring run that put them ahead for good. Cal came within one point late in the set, but UCSD eventually triumphed, 22-25.
The second set, however, was a different story, as Cal put together its best performance of the day. Posting a .346 hitting percentage as a team, the Bears went on a 6-0 scoring run of their own that included two straight service aces from Grote. Junior Kendall Jensen also earned her first kill of the season, adding 10 assists in a 25-13 Golden Bear rout to tie up the match at 1-1.
UC San Diego was not to be outdone as the Tritons jumped out to a 9-19 lead in the third set; however, the Bears put together a truly spectacular comeback to tie the set up at 21-21. Senior Sydney Lilomaiava posted her first kill of the season during Cal’s 8-1 run, while freshman Natalie Lau made her Golden Bear debut by instantly serving an…
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