HONOLULU - For the first time, the 14th-ranked University of California San Diego men's volleyball team is advancing at the Big West Conference Championship.
Fourth-seeded UC San Diego defeated CSUN, the fifth seed, 3-1 Thursday in a first round match at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Scores were 20-25, 25-23, 25-16, and 25-23.
With the win, the Tritons earn a berth in the semifinals and will face No. 1-ranked and top-seeded Hawai'i Friday at 10 p.m. PDT. The winner advances to Saturday's title match.
The historic win was the first postseason victory for UC San Diego at the NCAA Division I or II level. The team joined the DII ranks in 2001 as a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, where the Tritons remained until the Big West began sponsoring the sport in 2018.
Outside hitters
Kyle McCauley and
Ryan Ka combined for 35 kills, 18 for McCauley and 17 for Ka. McCauley tacked on three service aces and a career-high 12 digs, while Ka had six blocks (one solo), also a career-best, five digs, two assists, and an ace. Middle blocker
Shane Benetz and opposite
Collin Shannon each put away eight kills with Benetz hitting .400 (8-2-15). Setter
Blake Crisp paced the Tritons to a .269 (55-19-134) hitting percentage with 45 assists. Libero
Matt Palma collected 14 digs and middle
Logan Clark totaled six blocks.
At the net, UC San Diego held a 12.5 to 7.5 advantage in blocks.
After hitting over .400 in the opening set, CSUN finished at .228 (47-18-127). The Matadors got 18 kills from Daniel Wetter and another 13 from Ryan DeWeese. Wetter hit .567 with a single error in 30 attack attempts. Maciej Ptaszynski led all players with 16 digs.
It was the third win for UC San Diego over CSUN this season. In early April, the Tritons swept the Matadors in Northridge and took them down in five sets in La Jolla.
UC San Diego is now 1-2 in Big West Championship matches dating back to 2018, the tournament's inaugural year. The Tritons fell to UC Irvine in 2018 and 2019. The 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In tonight's early first round match, No. 3 Long Beach State swept sixth-seeded UC Irvine. The Beach will take on UC Santa Barbara, the tournament's No. 2 seed, Friday at 7:30 p.m. PDT in a semifinal.
PRESSER WITH COACH RING AND RYAN KA
TRITON TIDBITS
• UC San Diego's 54 digs were the team's most since Feb. 15, 2020.
•
Matt Palma's 14 digs were a career-best and the most by any Triton this season.
• The Tritons' nine service aces were their most since March 6, 2020.
• UC San Diego's 134 attack attempts were its third-most this season.
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Kyle McCauley had three service aces for the fifth time this season.
• CSUN's .228 hitting percentage was the second-lowest by any UC San Diego opponent this season. The lowest was .072 by CSUN on April 2.
•
Kyle McCauley has had at least 10 kills in 14 of 16 matches this season.
• Outside hitter
Wyatt Harrison, who missed the team's previous 14 matches due to injury, entered the contest late in the fourth set. He had last played on Feb. 24 against Hawaii in La Jolla.
BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Thursday, April 22 - First Round
No. 3 Long Beach State def. No. 6 UC Irvine, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-21)
No. 4 UC San Diego def. No. 5 CSUN, 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-23)
Friday, April 23 - Semifinals
7:30 pm: No. 2 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 3 Long Beach State
10:00 pm: No. 1 Hawaii vs. No. 4 UC San Diego
Saturday, April 24 - Final
10:00 pm: Semifinal winners
* all times PDT
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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.
