SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Despite a super-hot start, the sixth-ranked University of California San Diego men's volleyball team suffered a 3-1 defeat to No. 3 UC Santa Barbara Friday night in Big West Conference action at Rob Gym. Scores were 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, and 25-16.

UC San Diego, which had its six-match win streak halted, fell to 13-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big West. UC Santa Barbara won its eighth-consecutive contest to improve to 14-2. It was the first conference match of the season for the Gauchos.

The Tritons came out swinging in the opening set, posting a blistering .409 hitting percentage with 12 kills and just three errors in 22 attack attempts. However, they hit just .079 (29-22-89) over the next three sets, which included a -.040 (5-5-25) in set four, and finished at .144 (41-25-111).

UCSB, which hit .310 (45-14-100) on the night, held advantages in digs (37-29) and blocks (13-10.5), while the Tritons had 10 service aces to the Gauchos' six. The teams combined for 39 service errors, 20 of those going to UC San Diego.

Outside hitter Kyle McCauley put together a strong outing for the Tritons, collecting 18 kills and nine digs, both match-highs. He hit .314. Fellow outside Wyatt Harrison had eight kills, four aces, and three digs. Middle blocker Shane Benetz finished with seven kills, six blocks, and three digs, while opposite Collin Shannon had four kills, six blocks, and three aces.

For the Gauchos, Randy DeWeese had 15 kills, seven digs, and five blocks. Ryan Wilcox totaled eight kills, six digs, five blocks, and two aces, while Keenan Sanders had six kills and six digs.

The Tritons' six-match win streak was tied for the program's longest, also accomplished in 1996 as an NCAA Division III team. During this latest span, UC San Diego recorded three wins against a nationally-ranked team, four sweeps, its first ever Big West Conference victory, its first ever Big West regular season series sweep (UC Irvine), and its first ever Big West win streak (2). 

UC San Diego faces 12th-ranked UCLA (9-9) Saturday at the John Wooden Center (5 p.m.). The Tritons defeated UCLA in mid-January at RIMAC Arena when the Bruins were ranked third nationally.

------

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).