HONOLULU - The 12th-ranked University of California San Diego men's volleyball team was swept by Hawaii, the top-ranked team in the country, Saturday night at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
Scores of the Big West Conference match went 25-15, 25-19, and 25-21 in favor of the Rainbow Warriors. UC San falls to 1-7 overall and 1-3 in the conference, while Hawaii stays unbeaten at 9-0 on the season and 4-0 in the Big West.
Offensive output was key once again as Hawaii hit .448 with 48 kills and nine errors in 87 attack attempts. UC San Diego came in at .212 with 34 kills and 16 errors in 85 swings. In Friday's match, a 3-1 victory for the Warriors, the Tritons were out-hit .314 to .170.
Once again, UC San Diego was paced by outside hitter Kyle McCauley, who finished with 11 kills. Fellow outside Ryan Ka logged seven kills and middle blocker Logan Clark had six. Middle Shane Benetz had four total blocks, two of those coming in the solo form. Blake Crisp and Will Campbell split setting duties, Crisp finishing with 17 assists and Campbell amassing 13. Defensively, Triton libero Matt Palma had eight digs while Crisp, McCauley, and opposite Collin Shannon had five apiece.
Rado Parapunov paced the Warriors with a match-best 12 kills and was followed by Colton Cowell with 11. Parapunov hit .526 while Patrick Gasman and Chaz Galloway were both at .400. Jakob Thelle hit .778 with seven kills - several of those coming on the second ball - with zero errors in nine attacks. Gage Worsley led all players with 13 digs.
WHAT HEAD COACH KEVIN RING HAD TO SAY
• Although our hitting efficiency was a little better tonight, we actually played more competitive sets in the first match in part because we did a better job of putting pressure on Hawaii with our blocking and defense.
• We were really good in serve receive tonight as Matt, Ryan Ka, and Kyle handled Hawaii's strong service pressure. Unfortunately, we didn't get the offensive production we needed, especially considering how well we passed the ball. I thought we had chances to get off to a good start but the offense didn't materialize. To put ourselves in position to win sets and then matches we've got to raise our offensive game, which we are capable of doing.
• We've had good stretches of volleyball since opening our season with Hawaii at the end of February and are now just over halfway through the regular season. Although our level of play may fluctuate, I think we're in position to be more competitive as we fine tune our game in preparation for the Big West Conference tournament.
TRITON TIDBITS
• It was the fourth time the teams had met this season.
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Will Campbell's 13 assists were a career-high.
• Hawaii's .448 hitting percentage was the best by any Triton opponent thus far in 2021.
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Kyle McCauley has totaled at least 10 kills in all eight of the Tritons' matches this season.
• UC San Diego was without senior outside hitter
Wyatt Harrison for the seventh consecutive match due to injury.
• Next Friday's Big West match at CSUN will be the first time the teams have met since 2019.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns to the mainland for a home-and-home Big West pair with CSUN. The Tritons and Matadors open in Northridge on Friday, April 2 with the rematch set for RIMAC Arena in La Jolla on Saturday, April 3. Both matches are slated for a 7 p.m. first serve.
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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
Return To Sport… Safely
In order for UC San Diego scholar-athletes to be permitted to return to training and competition safely and within federal, state, local, and university guidelines, the athletic department implemented a number of measures designed to complement and enhance the university's highly-successful Return To Learn program. Notable actions include being physically distanced when practical, including during out-of-season training sessions; wearing masks, except when undergoing physically strenuous exercise; and maintaining proper hygiene. Athletes, coaches, and staff are testing at a higher frequency than the campus population, teams adhere to CDC, NCAA, and Big West Conference guidelines, and department officials participate in regular meetings with conference and university-affiliated physicians and the UC San Diego emergency operations staff.
