IRVINE, Calif. - A pair of scholar-athletes from the 10th-ranked University of California San Diego men's volleyball team picked up weekly awards from the Big West Conference Monday as Kyle McCauley was selected as the Player of the Week and Connor Walbrecht was named the Defensive Player of the Week. Â
The duo helped lead UC San Diego to a win at No. 5 UC Irvine Saturday night. Not only was it the fourth consecutive victory for the Tritons, it was also their first ever Big West Conference victory since the inception of the league in 2018.
McCauley put down a career high 24 kills, eclipsing his previous best of 21. The junior outside hitter recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 digs while adding a career high three aces, two blocks, and two assists. His 28 points gave him his third career high of the night.
It is the second Big West Player of the Week honor for McCauley this season.
Walbrecht established a new career high with 20 digs, the most by a Triton in a match since 2017. The senior setter assisted on 44 kills and served up three aces, matching his career best.
It is the first Big West weekly award of Walbrecht's career.Â
The final point of the match involved both players. At 14-12 in the fifth and deciding set, McCauley received UC Irvine's serve and made a great pass to Walbrecht, who teed up McCauley on the left side for the kill that clinched the historic win.
UC San Diego (11-3) has now defeated five nationally-ranked teams in 2020. In addition to the Anteaters, the Tritons have also taken down No. 3 UCLA, No. 11 Loyola, No. 13 Princeton, and No. 14 Concordia Irvine. Â
A rematch comes quickly as UC San Diego hosts UC Irvine at RIMAC Arena on Friday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. UCI dropped into a tie for sixth in this week's national poll.
It will be Sustainability Night with the first 500 students in attendance receiving a reusable Tritons straw. The match will be broadcast live by
ESPN3.Â
------
About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles, and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country. The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in the summer of 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's pre-eminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent. A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships. In competition, almost 1,400 UC San Diego scholar-athletes have earned All-America honors.
Follow the Tritons
For complete coverage and information regarding UC San Diego Athletics, follow the Tritons online at UCSDTritons.com and through social media on Twitter (@UCSDTritons), Instagram (@UCSDTritons) and Facebook (UCSDTritons). To stay tuned in to UC San Diego Men's Volleyball, follow the team's Instagram (@UCSDmvb)Â or visit the Tritons on Twitter (@UCSDmvb).
