HONOLULU. - The UC San Diego men's volleyball team looks to continue its historic postseason run Saturday as it takes on UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Conference Championship title match.
The fourth-seeded and 14th-ranked Tritons and second-seeded and third-ranked Gauchos take to the battlefield at 10 p.m. PDT at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
UC San Diego won its first round match against CSUN, the fifth seed, 3-1 Thursday. It was the team's first ever postseason victory as an NCAA Division I or Division II program. The road didn't get any easier from there, but the Tritons were prepared as they downed top seeded and No. 1-ranked Hawaii on Friday in a grueling five-set semifinal. The Warriors had their 16-match win streak as well as their bid to defend their Big West title halted.
UC Santa Barbara enjoyed a bye in the opening round. Friday, the Gauchos dropped the first set against third-seeded Long Beach State, but recovered and won the next three to advance to the championship match.
UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara have met five times already this season with the Gauchos winning all five, three of those in straight sets.
The conference champion earns an automatic spot in the upcoming NCAA National Collegiate Championship.
This is the third Big West Conference Men's Volleyball Championship. The inaugural event, won by Long Beach State, was in 2018. Hawaii is the reigning league champion having won the 2019 tourney. No tournament was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the first time the Tritons or Gauchos have advanced to the championship contest.
Saturday's match can be followed with a live stream on BigWest.TV as well as live stats. All coverage links, results, and box scores can be found at the Big West's Tournament Central throughout the event.
THE ESSENTIALS
--- Match 18: Big West Conference Championship Final ---
• No. 2 seed UC Santa Barbara (14-4) vs. No. 4 seed UC San Diego (5-12)
• Saturday • April 24 • 10 p.m. PDT
•
SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center • Honolulu, Hawaii
•
BigWest.TV
•
Live Stats
•
Twitter/
Instagram
ATTENDING THE TOURNAMENT
Per current COVID-19 safety guidelines implemented by the Big West Conference, spectators are not permitted to attend this year's tournament.
THE SERIES
• Overall: UC Santa Barbara leads 48-8
• First Meeting: 1/28/89, UC Santa Barbara 3-0 in La Jolla
• Last Meeting: 4/17/21, UC Santa Barbara 3-0 in Santa Barbara (
box score |
recap)
• Last UC San Diego Win: 2/15/13, 3-0 in La Jolla (
box score |
recap)
• Current Win Streak: UC Santa Barbara 19
ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO
Roster |
Schedule & Results |
Statistics
• Overall: 5-12
• Big West: 3-7
• Home: 2-6
• Away: 1-6
• Neutral: 2-0
• Streak: Won 2
• AVCA national ranking: 14th
• Big West Preseason Poll: 4th of 6
ABOUT UC SANTA BARBARA
Roster |
Schedule/Results |
Statistics
• Overall: 14-4
• Big West: 7-3
• Home: 8-3
• Away: 5-1
• Neutral: 1-0
• Streak: Won 9
• AVCA national ranking: 3rd
• Big West Preseason Poll: 2nd of 6
TRITON TIDBITS FROM LAST NIGHT AGAINST HAWAII
• It was UC San Diego's first win against Hawaii since January 6, 2012.
• Hawaii had won the previous 15 meetings going into last night.
• For the match, the Tritons trailed the Warriors in attack percentage (.241-.281), points (78.5-83.5), kills (55-64), digs (37-50), aces (10-11), and assists (53-59).
• UC San Diego had better blocking numbers (13.5-8.5).
•
Kyle McCauley established a new career-high with four aces.
• It was the sixth time this season that
Kyle McCauley posted at least three aces in a match.
• Freshman setter
Andrew Boyle was named Off the Block's National Offensive Player of the Night. He recorded 15 assists, four digs, three blocks (one solo), an ace, and a kill.
• In his second match back from injury,
Wyatt Harrison had an assist and a dig, his first stats since February 24 against Hawaii.
• UC San Diego has a pair of two-match win streaks this season, the team's longest.
TRITON TIDBITS FROM THURSDAY NIGHT AGAINST CSUN
• It was UC San Diego's first postseason win as an NCAA Division I or NCAA Division II team. The Tritons played in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) from 2001-17 before joining the newly-formed Big West Conference in 2018. Prior to 2001, UC San Diego was an NCAA Division III program.
• 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.
•
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.
THE BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2021 Big West Men's Volleyball Championship is April 22-24 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, with the University of Hawaii serving as host. The winner of the tournament earns an automatic berth in the NCAA National Collegiate Championships. The seeds are Hawaii at No. 1, UC Santa Barbara at No. 2, Long Beach State at No. 3, UC San Diego at No. 4, CSUN at No. 5, and UC Irvine at No. 6.
Hawaii and UC Santa Barbara received first round byes and advanced directly to the semifinals. In the opening round, Long Beach State defeated UC Irvine and UC San Diego downed CSUN to move on to the semis. In the semifinals, UC Santa Barbara defeated Long Beach State and UC San Diego took eliminated Hawaii.
This year's tourney is the third for the Big West as the inaugural event was held in 2018 and the 2020 event was canceled due to the pandemic. In 2019, Hawaii (which hosted that year's Big West tourney as well) defeated Long Beach State in five sets to win the league title. In 2018, host Long Beach State swept Hawaii for the championship
.
Here's a look at the tournament results and schedule with all times in PDT.
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
UC SAN DIEGO AT THE BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
• 4/23/21: No. 4 UC San Diego 5, No. 1 Hawaii 2 (box score/recap)
• 4/22/21: No. 4 UC San Diego 3, No. 5 CSUN 1 (box score/recap)
• 4/18/19: No. 3 UC Irvine 3, No. 6 UC San Diego 0 (box score/recap)
• 4/19/18: No. 3 UC Irvine 3, No. 6 UC San Diego 0 (box score/recap)
2021 BIG WEST STANDINGS
(final)
| Team |
Big West |
Overall |
| 1. Hawaii |
10-0 |
15-1 |
| 2. UC Santa Barbara |
7-3 |
14-4 |
| 3. Long Beach State |
6-4 |
7-5 |
| 4. UC San Diego |
3-7 |
5-12 |
| 5. CSUN |
2-8 |
2-9 |
| 5. UC Irvine |
2-8 |
2-14 |
* For tournament seeding purposes, CSUN wins tiebreaker over UC Irvine (1-1 head-to-head, both teams had 4 total sets won, CSUN had 178 points for and 171 points against)
UC SAN DIEGO ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Starters Returning (5)
•
Shane Benetz (Jr., MB)
•
Logan Clark (Jr., MB)
•
Kyle McCauley (Sr., OH)
•
Wyatt Harrison (Sr., OH)
•
Collin Shannon (Sr., OPP)
Starters Lost (1)
• Connor Walbrecht (S)
Primary Liberos Lost (1)
• Ryan Lew
Others Returning (12)
• Gabe Avillion (Sr., MB)
• Will Campbell (R-Fr., S)
• Blake Crisp (Jr., S)
• Bryce Curtis (Sr., OH)
• Macune Gilruth (R-Jr., OPP)
• Ryan Ka (R-So., OH)
• Berkeley Miesfeld (Jr., OPP)
• Matt Palma (Jr., L)
• Marco Posada (R-So., OH/OPP)
• Charlie Siragusa (Jr., OH/OPP)
• Ryan Swartz (R-Fr, OH)
• Michael Urdahl (R-So., MB)
Others Lost (2)
• Adam Sevier (MB)
• Cam Winter (MB)
Newcomers (3)
• Andrew Boyle (Fr., S)
• Nick Rigo (Fr., MB)
• Paya Vatanshenas (Fr., L)
UC SAN DIEGO'S RECORD ...
• Overall: 5-12
• In Big West matches: 3-7
• In non-conference matches: 2-5
• At home: 2-6
• On the road: 1-6
• At a neutral site: 2-0
• In 3 set matches: 1-8
• In 4 set matches: 1-2
• In 5 set matches: 3-2
• Against nationally-ranked teams: 2-12
• Against non-ranked teams: 3-0
• On Wednesdays: 0-3
• On Thursdays: 1-4
• On Fridays: 3-2
• On Saturday: 1-3
• When out-hitting opponent: 3-0
• When out-hit by opponent: 2-11
• When hitting percentage is tied: 0-1
• When out-acing opponent: 1-2
• When out-aced by opponent: 2-10
• When aces are equal: 2-0
• When out-digging opponent: 2-7
• When out-dug by opponent: 3-4
• When digs are equal: 0-1
• When out-blocking opponent: 4-1
• When out-blocked by opponent: 1-11
• When hitting .250 or better: 4-4
• When hitting under .250: 1-8
UC SAN DIEGO INDIVIDUAL MATCH-HIGHS
UC SAN DIEGO TEAM MATCH-HIGHS
| Kills |
64 |
vs. UC Santa Barbara |
4/14 |
| Attack Attempts |
145 |
at UC Irvine |
3/11 |
| Hitting Percentage |
.341 |
vs. UC Santa Barbara |
4/14 |
| Assists |
60 |
vs. UC Santa Barbara |
4/14 |
| Service Aces |
10 |
vs. Hawaii |
4/23 |
| Digs |
54 |
vs. CSUN |
4/22 |
| Total Blocks |
13.5 |
vs. UC Irvine, vs. Hawaii |
3/12, 4/23 |
UC SAN DIEGO AMONG THE NATIONAL STAT LEADERS
(top-30 only)
| Stat |
Value |
National Rank |
| Digs/Set |
8.78 |
19 |
| Attacks/Set |
27.64 |
20 |
| Hitting Percentage |
.237 |
27 |
| Kills/Set |
11.67 |
27 |
| Assists/Set |
10.76 |
28 |
TRITONS AMONG THE NATIONAL STAT LEADERS
(top-50 only)
2021 BOX SCORES
• 4/23:
No. 14 UC San Diego 3, No. 1 Hawaii 2
• 4/22:
No. 14 UC San Diego 3, CSUN 1
• 4/17:
No. 3 UC Santa Barbara 3, No. 13 UC San Diego 0
• 4/15:
No. 3 UC Santa Barbara 3, No. 13 UC San Diego 0
• 4/14:
No. 3 UC Santa Barbara 3, No. 13 UC San Diego 2
• 4/10:
No. 6 Long Beach State 3, No. 12 UC San Diego 0
• 4/9:
No. 6 Long Beach State 3, No. 12 UC San Diego 0
• 4/3:
No. 13 UC San Diego 3, CSUN 2
• 4/2:
No. 13 UC San Diego 3, CSUN 0
• 3/27:
No. 1 Hawaii 3, No. 12 UC San Diego 0
• 3/26:
No. 1 Hawaii 3, No. 12 UC San Diego 1
• 3/12:
No. 13 UC San Diego 3, No. 12 UC Irvine 2
• 3/11:
No. 12 UC Irvine 3, No. 13 UC San Diego 2
• 3/4:
No. 4 UC Santa Barbara 3, No. 13 UC San Diego 0
• 3/3:
No. 4 UC Santa Barbara 3, No. 13 UC San Diego 1
• 2/25:
No. 2 Hawaii 3, No. 11 UC San Diego 0
• 2/24:
No. 2 Hawaii 3, No. 11 UC San Diego 0
AVCA NATIONAL POLL
(4/19/21)
1. Hawaii
2. BYU
3. UC Santa Barbara
4. Lewis
5. Pepperdine
6. UCLA
7. Long Beach State
8. Penn State
9. Grand Canyon
10. Loyola Chicago
11. NJIT
12. McKendree
13. George Mason
14. UC San Diego
15. Ball State
Receiving votes: UC Irvine, CSUN, Belmont Abbey
ROCK THE VOTE
Here's a look at where UC San Diego has stood in this season's AVCA National Poll.
• 4/19: 14th
• 4/12: 13th
• 4/5: 12th
• 3/29: 13th
• 3/22: 12th
• 3/15: 13th
• 3/8: 13th
• 3/1: 13th
• 2/22: 11th
• 2/15: 9th
• 2/8: 9th
• 2/1: 9th
• 1/25: 8th
• Preseason: T-7th (UC Irvine)
BIG RANKINGS FOR THE BIG WEST
Four of the six Big West Conference teams can be found in this week's AVCA Top 15 National Poll.
1. Hawai'i
3. UC Santa Barbara
7. Long Beach State
14. UC San Diego
OFF THE BLOCK NATIONAL MEDIA POLL
(4/14/21)
1. Hawaii
2. BYU
3. Lewis
4. UC Santa Barbara
5. UCLA
6. Long Beach State
7. Pepperdine
8. Penn State
9. Loyola Chicago
10. NJIT
Receiving votes: Grand Canyon, Daemen
ROCK THE VOTE II
Here's a look at where UC San Diego has stood in this season's Off the Block National Media Poll.
• Week 12: NR
• Week 11: NR
• Week 10: NR
• Week 9: NR
• Week 8: NR
• Week 7: RV
• Week 6: T-10th (UC Irvine)
• Week 5: T-10th (UC Irvine)
• Week 4 10th
• Week 3: 10th
• Week 2: 9th
• Week 1: 8th
2021 BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL
1. Hawai'i (6 first place votes), 36 points
2. UC Santa Barbara, 30
3. UC Irvine, 21
4. UC San Diego, 18
5. Long Beach State, 15
6. CSUN, 6
MCCAULEY, BENETZ EARN BIG WEST ACCOLADES
The Big West announced its annual men's volleyball all-conference awards Monday and two UC San Diego scholar-athletes were recognized as
Kyle McCauley was named to the first team and
Shane Benetz picked up honorable mention.
McCauley is now a two-time All-Big West First Team selection. He leads the 13th-ranked Tritons in points, kills, attack attempts, and aces and is second in digs. In the national rankings, he is 13th in service aces per set, 25th in kills per set, and 29th in points per set. Among all Big West players in conference matches, McCauley finished third in aces, fifth in points, fifth in kills, and sixth in digs. A starter in all 15 of the team's matches, he has totaled at least 10 kills in 13 contests. A 2020 AVCA All-American and Newcomer of the Year, McCauley is an urban studies and planning major at Sixth College.
Benetz, a junior middle blocker, is hitting a team-best .351 with 87 kills and 21 errors in 188 attack attempts. He ranks 20th in the nation in hitting percentage. In Big West matches, his 35 blocks rank fifth and his .355 hitting percentage is sixth among all league players. Benetz is the Tritons' top blocker with 42 stuffs and a 0.8 blocks per set average. A 2020 Big West All-Academic performer, Benetz is a computer engineering major out of Warren College.
The Big West's three annual major awards - Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year - will be announced on April 27.
SENIOR-NIGHTUS
UC San Diego's home match against UC Santa Barbara on April 15 marked the final appearance at RIMAC Arena for seniors
Gabe Avillion,
Bryce Curtis,
Macune Gilruth, and
Collin Shannon.
THIRTYSOMETHING
In UC San Diego's five-set win over CSUN on April 3 in La Jolla, the Matadors won the
fourth set by a score of 37-35, a total of 72 points. Since 2011, only two sets involving the Tritons have ended with a higher point total.
• 82 points: 2/11/12, UC San Diego 42, BYU 40 in set 2 (BYU wins 3-2 in La Jolla)
• 74 points: 3/12/11, UC San Diego 38, Pepperdine 36 in set 2 (UC San Diego wins 3-2 in Malibu)
FLYIN' RYAN
Outside hitter
Ryan Ka had a career night on March 12 in a 3-2 win over UC Irvine in La Jolla ...
Posted match- and career-highs with 25 kills and 28 points … That was the most kills by a Triton since 1/25/20 when Wyatt Harrison had 27 against McKendree … Ka also added a career-best five blocks and hit .385 … Named Off the Block's National Offensive Player of the Night.
And he wasn't too shabby the night before in Irvine ...
Finished with a team-high 19 kills, which was a new career-high until the next night … Recorded his first career double-double by adding a match- and career-high 11 digs.
For the week, Ka averaged 4.8 points, 4.4 kills, 1.8 digs, and 0.5 blocks per set while hitting .293.
MCCAULEY BALL
Outside hitter
Kyle McCauley has logged at least 10 kills in 13 of the team's 15 matches this season and he's totaled 15 or more five times, including a season-high 22 vs. CSUN on April 3.
MCCAULEY NAMED A PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
In January, senior outside hitter
Kyle McCauley was tabbed a 2021 Preseason All-America First Team selection by Off the Block. McCauley, who transferred to UC San Diego prior to the 2020 season, earned a slew of awards last year including AVCA All-America First Team and AVCA Newcomer of the Year accolades. He was the first Triton to ever garner those two honors. The Huntington Beach native and urban studies and planning major was also named All-Big West Conference First Team after leading the league in points and kills.
GABE AVILLION HONORED AS A 2020 BIG WEST SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
On March 2, 2021, senior middle blocker was named a Big West Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The conference recognized 22 student-athletes, one male and one female from each of its 11 institutions. The award acknowledges their accomplishments on the field, in the classroom, and in their communities. Avillion was a part of the 2020 squad that was ranked as high as sixth nationally, the highest ranking in program history. He posted career-highs in points, kills, and blocks in a match against No. 13 Concordia. A biochemistry and cellular biology major, Avillion was named President of the Triton Athletes' Council (TAC) in 2021 and is looking forward to bringing more student-athletes opportunities on and off the court.
IT'S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME
The Feb. 24, 2021 match against Hawaii in La Jolla was UC San Diego's first competition since March 11, 2020. On that night, the sixth-ranked Tritons swept No. 10 Penn State at RIMAC Arena. It would prove to be the final NCAA athletic contest on campus until December 21, 2020 (women's basketball vs. California Baptist). The very next day after taking down the Nittany Lions, the NCAA canceled all remaining winter and spring championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a 14-5 record, the Tritons had to forgo seven remaining regular season matches as well as the Big West Conference Tournament.
How long was it since UC San Diego had last played on March 11, 2020?
• 50 weeks
• 350 days
• 8400 hours
• 504,000 minutes
• 30,240,000 seconds
• 95.89% of a common year (365 days)
2020's HISTORIC CAMPAIGN IN BULLET POINTS
Take a look at what UC San Diego accomplished during its shortened 2020 season.
• Finished with an overall record of 14-5, the most victories since the school moved to NCAA Division II status in 2001
• Defeated seven nationally-ranked squads (No. 3 UCLA, No. 5/6 UC Irvine, No. 10 Penn State, No. 11 Loyola, No. 13 Princeton, No. 14 Concordia Irvine)
• On Feb. 15, beat UC Irvine on the road to earn first ever Big West Conference win
• Junior outside hitter
Kyle McCauley was named an AVCA First Team All-American and the AVCA National Newcomer of the Year, both program firsts
• Senior setter
Connor Walbrecht was named an AVCA Second Team All-American, a program first
• Broke into the national poll on Jan. 27 (No. 15), the first time the team had been ranked since 2013
• Climbed to No. 6 in the national poll, the highest the team has ever been ranked
• Between Feb. 4 and Feb. 28, reeled off six consecutive victories, tying the longest win streak in program history
• Sweep of No. 3 UCLA on Jan. 17 was first win against the Bruins since 2012
• Finished with a .280 team hitting percentage, team's best since 2010
• Led the Big West Conference in points, kills, and assists
• McCauley led all Big West Conference players in points and kills
• Walbrecht led all Big West Conference players in assists and digs
• Walbrecht's 705 assists were the most of any NCAA DI/DII player in the country
• Junior outside hitter
Wyatt Harrison led the Big West Conference in service aces
2020 HONOR ROLL
•
Wyatt Harrison: 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: Big West Defensive Player of the Week (1/27)
•
Kyle McCauley: AVCA All-America First Team, AVCA Newcomer of the Year, All-Big West First Team, UC San Diego Athlete of the Year, 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: AVCA All-America Second Team, All-Big West Conference First Team, UC San Diego Athlete of the Year, 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)
WE'RE ALL IN!
Every member of the men's volleyball team successfully registered to vote in 2020. The feat was part of a larger goal from the
Triton Voting Initiative to have all scholar-athletes registered to vote beginning with the 2020 federal, state, and local elections. The initiative was driven primarily by the
Triton Athletes' Council.
A NEW LOOK AT RIMAC ARENA
With UC San Diego Athletics beginning the transition to NCAA Division I over the summer, the Tritons unveiled a new-look for the floor at RIMAC Arena in mid-September. The court design features a sleek, modern look, paying homage to UC San Diego's proximity to the Pacific Ocean as well as proudly promoting the program's membership in the Big West Conference. At midcourt, the UC San Diego word mark and recognizable trident logo are prominently displayed. RIMAC Arena's four primary tenants – men's and women's basketball and men's and women's volleyball – all compete in the Big West.
Click here for photos of the new design!
UC SAN DIEGO AND COVID-19
UC San Diego's nationally renowned Return to Learn program was created to return to in-person teaching, learning, conducting pioneering research, and serving our communities in the safest way possible. The program has three adaptive pillars that are central to our strategy to resume on-campus activity: risk mitigation, viral detection, and intervention. For the latest information on UC San Diego and COVID-19, please visit the University's
Return to Learn site.
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program has begun a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of the
Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play. Since men's volleyball has a combined NCAA national championship (NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II), the Tritons are eligible for all postseason play in that sport, as they have been since 2001. The 2021 season is the fourth for the men's volleyball team as a member of the Big West Conference.
UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS LAUNCHES WEEKLY PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast,
Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and the Big West Conference. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Audible, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, and Vurbl. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter
@Tritoncast.
HEAD COACH KEVIN RING
Now in his 16th season heading up the UC San Diego Men's Volleyball program,
Kevin Ring currently owns a 119-312 (.276) overall record at the school. With a 3-0 sweep over Lindenwood at RIMAC Arena on March 12, 2019, Ring notched his 100th win with the Tritons. Ring got his start as the Tritons' team manager from 1989-91 before playing for the team for three seasons. He was an assistant coach for nine years and was named head coach in June of 2005. He has also been extensively involved with USA Volleyball. Ring earned two degrees from UC San Diego, graduating with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 1996, followed by a master's in chemistry in 1998.
SIGN ME UP!
Back in November, the men's volleyball program announced that three scholar-athletes signed National Letters of Intent to join the team as freshmen for the 2021-22 academic year. The Class of 2025 includes middle blocker Jim Garrison, outside hitter Matthew Lim, and outside hitter Josh Schellinger. Garrison and Lim are from Southern California, while Schellinger hails from Illinois.
"I am excited for Matthew, Josh, and Jim to join the program next fall as all three compete at a high level and will put in the time and work to make themselves and their teammates better," said UC San Diego head coach Kevin Ring. "All three are highly academic and focused, which will serve them well as a UC San Diego scholar-athlete."
JIM GARRISON
6'8" Middle Blocker
Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Mira Costa High School
High School
• Three-year Scholar-Athlete for the Mustangs
• Won 2019 Junior Varsity Bay League title
• Won back-to-back Freshman/Sophomore Bay League titles in 2017 and 2018
• Also played beach volleyball for the Mustangs and won several AAU tournaments
• Made Honor Roll all four years
• Bronze Presidential Volunteer Service Award winner
• Volunteered at an animal shelter
Club
• Played with Rockstar Volleyball (2017-20)
• Won a national championship in 2018
• National runner-up in 2017
• Three-time first place finisher at Southern California Volleyball Association Qualifiers (2017, 2018, 2019)
Garrison on UC San Diego
"UC San Diego has everything I want in a volleyball school and more."
-
MATTHEW LIM
6'6" Outside Hitter
San Diego, Calif.
Torrey Pines High School
High School
• Three-year Varsity starter for the Falcons
• Team's Most Improved Player Award winner as a freshman (2017)
• A four-time Player of the Match honoree
• Ranked third in the nation by MaxPreps (2019)
• First place at La Jolla Beach Cities Invitational (2019)
• First place at Valhalla West Coast Challenge (2019)
• Three-year Varsity Beach Volleyball player
• Freshman Basketball team captain and MVP, Falcons went 27-2 (2017)
• Trained with USA Volleyball High Performance (2019, 2020)
• Has maintained straight A's through three years of high school
• An AP Scholar with Honor, will graduate with 10 AP classes
Club
• Played with WAVE (2016-20)
• A three-year team captain
• Two-time Florida Fest Qualifier winner (2019, 2020)
• Third place at Southern California Volleyball Association Boys Invitational (2020)
• WAVE Leadership Advisory Board Vice President
Lim on UC San Diego
"I chose UC San Diego because I want to be a part of the team culture. Also, UC San Diego gives me the opportunity to compete at the highest level while also providing a top-tier education."
-
JOSH SCHELLINGER
6'5" Outside Hitter
Bloomingdale, Ill.
Lake Park High School
High School
• Honorable Mention All-District and All-DuKane Conference as a junior (2019)
• Lancers won a regional title in 2019
• Holds school records for aces in a season (62) and aces in a match (8)
• Highest Honor Roll accolades for all three years
• National Honor Society member
• Two-year volunteer coach at St. Isidore Catholic School (his alma mater)
• Volunteer with Feed My Starving Children
Club
• Played with Hitmen (2017-19) and Future Volleyball (2019-21)
• Team captain and MVP with Hitmen (2018)
• Team captain with Future (2020)
• His team has qualified for the Open Division at Nationals for the last four years
• Future took second at 2020 St. Louis National Qualifier
• Future was third at 2019 Chicago National Qualifier
• Future placed 19th at 2019 Nationals
Schellinger on UC San Diego
"I chose UC San Diego because of the outstanding athletics, location, the growing success of the volleyball program, and the fact that the focus of the coaching staff is both academic and athletic."
NCAA MEN'S VOLLEYBALL LANDSCAPE
The NCAA combines Division I and Division II teams into a single national championship, while Division III squads have a stand-alone championship. There are 49 Division I and Division II teams combined, with 37 of those making up six conferences. Another 12 institutions are independent.
Big West Conference (6)
CSUN (DI)
Hawai'i (DI)
Long Beach State (DI)
UC Irvine (DI)
UC San Diego (DI)
UC Santa Barbara (DI)
Conference Carolinas (8)
Barton (DII)
Belmont Abbey (DII)
Emmanuel (GA) (DII)
Erskine (DII)
King (TN) (DII)
Lees-McRae (DII)
Mount Olive (DII)
North Greenville (DII)
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (8)
Charleston (WV) (DII)
George Mason (DI)
Harvard (DI)
NJIT (DI)
Penn State (DI)
Princeton (DI)
Sacred Heart (DI)
Saint Francis (PA) (DI)
Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (8)
Ball State (DI)
Lewis (DII)
Lindenwood (DII)
Loyola Chicago (DI)
McKendree (DII)
Ohio State (DI)
Purdue Fort Wayne (DI)
Quincy (DII)
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (7)
BYU (DI)
Concordia Irvine (DII)
Grand Canyon (DI)
Pepperdine (DI)
Stanford (DI)
UCLA (DI)
USC (DI)
Independent (12)
Alderson Broaddus (DII)
Central State (DII)
D'Youville (DII)
Daemen (DI)
Limestone (DII)
Lincoln Memorial (DII)
Puerto Rico at Bayamon (DII)
Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (DII)
Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras (DII)
Queens (NC) (DII)
St. Francis (NY) (DI)
Tusculum (DII)
BE SOCIAL!
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UC San Diego Men's Volleyball on Instagram (ucsdmvb)
UC San Diego Men's Volleyball on Twitter (@ucsdmvb)
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the
Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!
GEAR HERE
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, visit the official team store of the Tritons
here.
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.
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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.
