LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball set new records for attendance in LionTree Arena during the 2022 season—it's second season of Division I competition. The Tritons finished fourth in The Big West in average home attendance in 2022, after limiting capacity in 2021 due to Return to Learn safety restrictions.
"The atmosphere at LionTree was incredible this season," said head coach
Ricci Luyties. "The arena is the best in the conference in my opinion and one of the best in the country. As our team keeps improving, I'm sure the attendance will continue to increase and our home court will be a huge advantage for our team."
The Tritons averaged 580 fans per contest over the course of their 13-game home schedule, breaking the previous record of 491 per match during the 2007 season. The 2022 average also increased by over 100 attendees per game from 2021's season attendance average (460).
Additionally, the Tritons set records for the top two single game attendance totals. UC San Diego hosted 1,953 fans in LionTree Arena for its Sept. 23 match against UC Santa Barbara and welcomed 1,887 fans to La Jolla on Oct. 21 when the Tritons hosted Cal Poly during Homecoming Weekend.
"Hopefully we can keep the momentum going and bring more first-time fans to see volleyball and what a great sport it is," said Luyties. "The women's and men's volleyball programs at UC San Diego are competing at the highest level now and the matches showcase many great young athletes."
The Tritons finished the 2022 season 14-18 overall and 7-13 in Big West competition. Sophomore
Ava McInnes was named to the All-Big West Second Team, while
Naya Dong and
Emily McDaniel were named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.
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 II and III 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.
