LA JOLLA, Calif. - "This was only the beginning."

The quote from senior libero Ryan Lew follows a historic 2020 season for the UC San Diego men's volleyball team. It alludes to all that was accomplished during one of the finest campaigns in program history. It also sets the stage for the future, fostering positivity after the season came to an abrupt and unexpected close.  

The Tritons had already shown how talented and powerful they were. They had posted several team firsts and team bests. They were rolling. Then came Thursday, March 12, the day after the team had defeated 10th-ranked Penn State at RIMAC Arena in La Jolla. The NCAA announced that it was canceling all winter and spring championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented declaration brought the season to a close for teams and scholar-athletes across the nation.

The what-ifs and lack of closure are hard to digest. However, this resilient team will take solace in knowing that it has established itself on the national stage and will ride a monstrous wave of momentum into 2021 and beyond, both on and off the court.

This season was only the beginning.
 

Some other goodies from tonight.
??ESPN3 Postgame Video: https://t.co/897cIBbJ5k
??Photo Gallery: https://t.co/QWLdwktfCA
??Box Score: https://t.co/KN6UYv9TOj
??Match Program: https://t.co/mFv8DZWmwY#UCSanDiego #NCAAmvb @NCAAVolleyball @BigWestSports @UCSDtritons pic.twitter.com/juABUWGnrc

— UCSD Men's Volleyball (@UCSDmvb) March 12, 2020

WINNING
• With its 14-5 overall record, UC San Diego set a new high mark for wins during its NCAA Division II era (since 2001). The big victory came with a sweep against No. 10 Penn State on March 11 at RIMAC Arena. That contest would prove to be the final UC San Diego athletic event in La Jolla for the 2019-20 season. See the above tweet for more info on the match.  
• Between Feb. 4 and Feb. 28, the Tritons reeled off six-consecutive victories, tying their longest win streak in program history. The only other time they won that many contests in a row was in 1996 as a Division III member.

AMONG THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
Starting the season out unranked nationally, UC San Diego climbed to No. 6, its highest-ever ranking, in late February and stayed in that spot for three consecutive weeks until the season ended. On Jan. 27, the Tritons made their debut in the poll at No. 15, which marked the first time they had been ranked since 2013. Here's a look at the team's week-by-week ranking this season.
• 3/9: Tied for 6th
• 3/2: 6th
• 2/24: 6th
• 2/17: 10th
• 2/10: Tied for 14th
• 2/3: Receiving votes
• 1/27: 15th
• 1/20: Receiving votes
• 1/13: Receiving votes
• 12/5 (preseason): Not ranked 

FIRST, BUT NOT LAST
• On Feb. 15, UC San Diego defeated UC Irvine, 3-2, on the road to earn its first-ever Big West Conference victory since the league began sponsoring men's volleyball in 2018. The win snapped a 19-match losing slide against the Anteaters.
• The following week, the Tritons topped UCI again, this time in straight sets at RIMAC Arena. That win gave them their inaugural Big West sweep, season series sweep, and win streak.

DOWN GO THE RANKED
UC San Diego collected seven wins against nationally-ranked teams this season:
• No. 3 UCLA
• No. 5 UC Irvine
• No. 6 UC Irvine
• No. 10 Penn State
• No. 11 Loyola
• No. 13 Princeton
• No. 14 Concordia Irvine

AWARDS SHOW
To date, here's a look at the awards collected by Tritons this season.
• Wyatt Harrison (OH): All-Big West Conference Honorable Mention ... Big West Player of the Week (1/27), Off the Block National Outside Hitter of the Week (1/27), Off the Block National Offensive Player of the Night (1/17), Lindenwood Invitational All-Tournament Team (1/26), UCSDtritons.com Athlete of the Week (1/20)
• Ryan Lew (L): Big West Defensive Player of the Week (1/27)
• Kyle McCauley (OH): All-Big West Conference First Team ... AVCA National Player of the Week (1/14), Two-time Big West Player of the Week (1/13, 2/17), San Diego Sports Association Star of the Month for January, UCSDtritons.com Athlete of the Week (1/13)
• Connor Walbrecht (S): All-Big West Conference First Team ... Two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Week (2/17, 2/24), Off the Block National Setter of the Week (2/24), Off the Block National Offensive Player of the Night (1/9), Lindenwood Invitational All-Tournament Team, UCSDtritons Athlete of the Week (2/24)

DIG DUG
Senior libero Ryan Lew climbed all the way to No. 3 on UC San Diego's career digs list. His four-year total of 670 scoops was just four short of tying Chase Frishman for second.

HELP ME OUT
Senior setter Connor Walbrecht racked up 705 assists, the most of any DI/DII player in the country.

UC SAN DIEGO IN THE NATIONAL STAT RANKINGS
7. Opponent Hitting Percentage, .209
9. Blocks/Set, 2.41
11. Assists/Set, 11.61
14. Kills/Set, 12.35
16. Hitting Percentage: .280
17. Attacks/Set, 27.23
20. Digs/Set, 8.96
22. Aces/Set, 1.37

TRITONS IN THE NATIONAL STAT RANKINGS
8. Connor Walbrecht, Assists/Set, 10.07
8. Shane Benetz, Blcoks/Set, 1.17
9. Kyle McCauley, Kills/Set, 4.06
14. Kyle McCauley, Points/Set, 4.54
17. Shane Benetz, Hitting Percentage, .371
20. Connor Walbrecht, Digs/Set, 2.09
23. Kyle McCauley, Attacks/Set, 7.98
25. Logan Clark, Blocks/Set, 0.96
26. Wyatt Harrison, Aces/Set, 0.39
30. Kyle McCauley, Hitting Percentage, .321
30. Wyatt Harrison, Attacks/Set, 7.63
30. Ryan Lew, Digs/Set, 1.93

SPEAK UP
We talked to the two seniors on the 2020 roster, libero Ryan Lew and setter Connor Walbrecht, as well as 15th-year head coach Kevin Ring, to get their thoughts following the Tritons' historic season. Here's what they had to say.

• As a four-year player, how have you seen this team adapt, improve, and become closer over your career?
Ryan Lew: Since joining the team as a freshman, I always thought the team was close. My teammates would always include me in conversations, activities, and meals. Furthermore, they would assist me throughout my first year of college, both academically and athletically. However, I do believe the biggest factor to our recent success was our shift in mentality. Everyone on the team wanted, and expected, to win every match. I think every player on the roster was confident in their volleyball ability and how it stacked up against our opponents. This escalated the competitive nature in practice which helped us compete against some of the best teams in the country.

Connor Walbrecht: This team has always been very close, making sure to set up other moments to get closer with one another. This year, the biggest change came in the practice gym. There was a different level of competition that I had not yet seen. I think everyone on the team bought in and was ready to compete at the highest level.

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• What do you consider the major contributors to why this team was so productive this season?
Ryan Lew: I think the major contributors to this season's success began in the fall. The coaching staff set the roster almost a month earlier than the previous years I had been with the program. This allowed the team to practice and gain chemistry with one another. In addition, I think the maturing of younger players as well as the incoming players added to the team's success. These contributions created a competitive and close atmosphere in the gym and by January, we were ready for our first match against Loyola.

Connor Walbrecht: Practice has been a key component, including that drive to be better. We have had guys on the team that want to win before, but this team bonded on a different level with how badly we wanted to be great. Once we got the taste for winning at the beginning, we didn't want to stop.

Kevin Ring: I felt like we had one of our best fall training blocks in a number of years, so we went into the championship season believing we were capable of performing at a high level. But, the fall is the fall and the season is the season. You have to get into the heart of your competition to really know what you are made of as a team. We had some early success with victories over number 11 Loyola-Chicago and number three UCLA, which I think helped solidify our belief in what we were capable of. Each week of the season built on itself with new challenges and areas for improvement. As a coach, I really enjoyed seeing the players embrace the work that went into us being successful.

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• What was your first thought when you heard the remainder of the season had been canceled?
Ryan Lew: I was shocked and I still don't think it has hit me yet. The night before, we had beaten 10th-ranked Penn State at home in front of a crowd. Prior to the match, I thought it would be my last time seeing familiar faces in the stands since I was told future matches would be fan-less. I would have never thought that it would be the last match of my collegiate career.

Connor Walbrecht: My first thought was that I was not going to be able to compete for a Big West title or get the shot at a national championship. We had worked so hard this year to become the best team in program history and we were not ready to give up so soon. I also thought about how I wouldn't get to have a senior night with Ryan Lew and experience that moment together.

Kevin Ring: I spoke with a coach at an Ivy League school just as their season was canceled and we discussed that this may be the trend elsewhere. Sure enough, pro leagues, the Big West Conference and the NCAA all canceled events. It was definitely a disappointment, but at first I hoped there would be a chance that we could start up again later in the season. Once we saw that that would not be the case, my thoughts balanced between it certainly being the right call and the disappointment that goes with the abrupt end to something we were working so hard for. I felt for all of the players on the team and especially our two seniors, Connor Walbrecht and Ryan Lew.

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• Give us your thoughts on Connor and Ryan. What have they meant to this program over the last four seasons?
Kevin Ring: Connor and Ryan were teammates on a club team prior to attending UC San Diego, so they've known each other for quite some time. They have both given so much to the program and I have been thrilled for the personal success they had this year as well as how well the team performed. Being a collegiate scholar-athlete can be a grind with all of the time constraints and physical training, but Connor and Ryan handled it very well, which in turn helped set the tone for the team. Our success this season would not have come without their continual effort to work to get better each and every day.

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What are you most proud of during your volleyball career at UC San Diego?
Ryan Lew: I think I am most proud of being part of a team that delivered the best season it has had since its move to division two. All four years I played against the best teams in the nation and I think beating teams such as USC, UCLA, and UC Irvine along the way is something I will never forget.

Connor Walbrecht: I am most proud of my teammates. The winning and awards are nice too, but the reason I kept pushing was for them. We have been through a lot of ups and downs together, but we came out the other side stronger and better than ever. My teammates wanted to be better for each other, not just for themselves. Being a part of that is the proudest part of being a Triton.

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What would you like to say to your teammates, coaches, fans, and other supporters?
Ryan Lew: To my teammates, I would like to say thank you for always having my back and trusting me. Use the momentum we created this year as fuel for next season - this was only the beginning. To my coaches - Coach Ring, Jon Girten, Jake Penolio, Paul Lotman, Paul Warren, and Nick Vogel - thank you for having faith in my volleyball ability and for the endless support. You guys have seen me develop and have assisted me with my growth over the past four years. To the fans and pep band, thank you for taking time out of your day to watch and support us. The energy that all of you bring is priceless and amazing. I have seen many of you in the stands for the past four years and hope to be cheering aside all of you in the future. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents for all the love and support throughout my life on and off the court. Thank you for attending almost every match, home and away.

Connor Walbrecht: All I have to say is keep winning! I know this was not the way we wanted it to end, but I am so proud to know that we ended this season giving it all we had. I know that this program is going to continue to get better because of the guys that are here. I know this team is in good hands with the teammates that I have made lifelong connections with, and I am excited to see where they go.

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• What was your favorite highlight from this season?
Kevin Ring: Tough question. I enjoyed seeing both the team success and the individual player success we had over the course of the season. The home victory over third-ranked UCLA in mid-January was certainly a highlight. More than just the stats (team hit .360 with all five starting attackers hitting .300 or better) was how focused and in control of our own game we were in all three sets. We had no lulls in our game and won the match in convincing fashion. We picked up our first-ever Big West Conference victories with back-to-back wins over UC Irvine, so those matches were very meaningful. Another significant highlight was our three-set victory over number 10 Penn State as it was a midweek match after we had lost two on the road and had not served at our best. We had two practices to shore up our service game and it all came together. Responding well after a few losses is a key sign to a mentally strong team.

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• What are you thoughts looking forward to next season? 
Kevin Ring: In many ways next season cannot come soon enough. A lot of the players have commented on the excitement for next season and the eagerness to get started again. We'll approach it the same way - put in a lot of work in the fall, both on the court and in the weight room, to maximize our training block and prepare us for the start of the season.

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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) or visit the Tritons on Twitter (@UCSDmvb).