SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Senior setter Phil Bannan collected the 3,500th assist of his career Friday as the UC San Diego men's volleyball team opened its 2011 campaign with a pair of 3-1 losses at the 47th Annual Gaucho Invitational.

The Tritons opened the tourney with a morning loss against No. 9 UCLA. Scores went 25-22, 25-12, 23-25 and 25-15 in favor of the Bruins. UC San Diego had been on a two-match win streak against UCLA dating back to 2010. In the evening match, 12th-ranked Cal State Northridge topped UCSD by scores of 29-31, 25-23, 25-23 and 25-18. Both matches were at UCSB's Thunderdome.

UC San Diego will play Cal Baptist in the seventh place match on Saturday. The Lancers, who won the 2010 NAIA national title, suffered losses against BYU and UC Irvine. The match will get underway at 11 a.m. at UCSB's Robertson Gymnasium. For ticket information, please visit the official tournament page.

Bannan entered the season needing just six assists for 3,500. He's currently second on UCSD's all-time career assists list.

Against CSUN, the Tritons were led by Shane Veiga's 19 kills. He also added five digs and two blocks and finished with a match-high 20 points. Calvin Ross had 10 kills and Chase Frishman led all players with 11 digs. UCSD out-blocked Northridge 12-11, but struggled from the service line. The Tritons committed 21 service errors with no aces. The Matadors also had 21 miscues, but did manage to drop in four aces.

Veiga also stood out against UCLA, leading the Tritons with 14 kills. Joel Davidson had 10 put-aways, while Ross hit .571 and Sebastian Brady swung at .556.

"We worked really hard and were able to pick up at least one set in each match," said UCSD head coach Kevin Ring. "If you can win a set, you can win a match. I saw us do a lot of good things today and overall I'm happy with our performance."

Also on Saturday, host UCSB will face off against BYU for the tourney title at 6:30 p.m. UCLA and Long Beach State will play in the consolation match at 4 p.m. and Cal State Northridge will play UC Irvine at 1:30 p.m. in the fifth place contest. CSUN had won the previous two Gaucho Invitational events.

Following Saturday's match, the Tritons will head directly into league play as they play at UC Irvine on Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m.

First Round Results - Friday, Jan. 7
No. 10 UC Santa Barbara 3, No. 12 Cal State Northridge 0 (25-16,25-21,25-17)
No. 9 UCLA 3, UC San Diego 1 (25-22, 25-12, 23-25, 25-15)
No. 5 BYU 3, Cal Baptist 1 (16-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-22)
No. 11 Long Beach State 3, No. 2 UC Irvine 1 (12-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-21)

Second Round Results - Friday, Jan. 7
UCSB 3, UCLA 1 (25-13, 23-25, 27-25, 25-23)
BYU 3, LBSU 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-22)  
CSUN 3, UCSD 1 (29-31, 25-23, 25-23, 25-18)
UCI 3, CBU 1 (26-24, 19-25, 28-26, 25-23)

Final Round Match-Ups - Saturday, Jan. 8
7th/8th place match: UCSD vs. CBU, 11 a.m.
5th/6th place match: CSUN vs. UCI, 1:30 p.m.
3rd/4th placce match: LBSU vs. UCLA, 4 p.m..
Championship match: BYU vs. UCSB, 6:30 p.m.