HONOLULU - The UC San Diego men's volleyball team did what no other team could do this season as it handed Hawaii, the nation's top-ranked squad, its first loss of the season.
The fourth-seeded Tritons dished out a gutsy performance to defeat the top-seeded Rainbow Warriors, 3-2, Friday in a Big West Championship semifinal at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Scores were 22-25, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23, and 18-16.
The win advances UC San Diego to Saturday's conference title match against third-ranked and second-seeded UC Santa Barbara.
It was UC San Diego's first win against Hawaii since Jan. 6, 2012. That match was also in Honolulu.
The Warriors' 16-match win streak, which dates back to the 2020 season, came to an end.
In Friday's early semifinal, UCSB defeated third-seeded Long Beach State, 3-1, to earn its chance to play for the Big West crown and an automatic berth in the NCAA National Collegiate Championship.
The Tritons are on quite a tear on the islands. In a first round match Thursday, they downed CSUN, the fifth seed, to earn their first postseason win as an NCAA Division I or Division II team. UC San Diego joined the DII ranks prior to its 2001 season.
UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara have met five times already this season. The Gauchos have won them all, three in sweeping fashion.
This is the third Big West Conference Men's Volleyball Championship. The inaugural event was held in 2018, the year that the league began sponsoring the sport. Long Beach won the title. In 2019, it was Hawaii coming away with the championship. The 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Until Thursday, UC San Diego was winless at the event at 0-2 with both losses coming against UC Irvine.
Saturday's championship match can be followed with a
live stream on BigWest.TV as well as
live stats.
PRESSER WITH LOGAN CLARK, KYLE MCCAULEY, AND COACH RING
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
No. 2 UC Santa Barbara def. No. 3 Long Beach State, 3-1 (16-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-15)
No. 4 UC San Diego def. No. 1 Hawaii, 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23, 18-16)
Saturday, April 24 - Final
10:00 pm: No. 2 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 4 UC San Diego
* 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.
