HONOLULU - A historic campaign to win the Big West Conference Men's Volleyball Championship came up just short as UC San Diego fell, 3-1, to UC Santa Barbara in the title match Saturday.
Scores from SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center were 22-25, 27-25, 25-21, and 25-20 in favor of the Gauchos, who earn an automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA National Collegiate Championships.
UC San Diego's season record drops to 5-13, while UC Santa Barbara improves to 15-4. The Tritons, ranked 14th nationally, were the tourney's fourth seed. The Gauchos, ranked third in the country, were the second seed. Both squads were playing in the conference final for the first time.
UC San Diego's historic performance at the tournament began Thursday when the Tritons defeated fifth-seeded CSUN in a semifinal. It was the program's first ever postseason win as an NCAA Division I or Division II team.
Next up for the Tritons was the undefeated reigning conference champion Hawaii. Ranked No. 1 nationally and the tournament's top seed, the Warriors had a first round bye and advanced straight to Friday's semifinal round. UC San Diego turned in a gutsy, gritty performance and upset the powerhouse in a thrilling five-set affair, halting Hawaii's 16-match win streak dating back to the 2020 season. It was the Tritons' first win against the Warriors since January of 2012.
As the No. 2 seed, UC Santa Barbara also received a first round bye. The Gauchos dispatched seventh-ranked and third-seeded Long Beach State, 3-1, in a semifinal to move on to Saturday's title bout against the Tritons.
It was the sixth meeting between UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara this season. The Gauchos won all six.
Both teams struggled offensively tonight as they each hit under .200. The Gauchos hade a solid block, finishing with 14.5 to nine. The Tritons had issues from the service line with 23 errors and only six aces.
Four Tritons finished with a double-figure kill total including
Kyle McCauley (13),
Collin Shannon (13), and
Ryan Ka (12). For the second-straight match, McCauley logged four service aces while also adding 11 digs. Shannon had seven blocks and libero
Matt Palma led all players with 14 digs.
UC Santa Barbara got 13 kills from Randy DeWeese and 12 from Ryan Wilcox. Keenan Sanders finished with seven blocks, while Ryan Pecsok had 12 digs.
This was 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.
UC San Diego came in to this year's tournament with an 0-2 Big West Championship record after losing to UC Irvine in 2018 and 2019.
The NCAA will officially announce the teams moving on to the National Collegiate Championship via a selection show airing on Sunday, April 25, at 10 a.m. PDT at
NCAA.com.
PRESSER WITH COACH RING AND COLLIN SHANNON
2021 BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP 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
No. 2 UC Santa Barbara def. No. 4 UC San Diego, 3-1 (22-25, 27-25, 25-21, 25-20)
TRITON TIDBITS
• Overall, UC San Diego held advantages in points, kills, aces, and assists.
• It was just the second time a Triton opponent hit under .200 this season.
• UC San Diego's 23 service errors were a season-high.
• Kyle McCauley has finished with at least three services aces seven times this season.
• It was the second time this season that the Tritons totaled 50 or more digs. The first time came against CSUN in the semifinals.
• Kyle McCauley has totaled at least 10 kills in 16 of 18 matches.
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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.
