LA JOLLA, Calif. - Following 12 non-league matches, the 11th-ranked UC San Diego men's volleyball team is set to open its Big West Conference season this week.
The Tritons head up the coast to take on No. 6 UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.
Both teams enter the contest with a four-match win streak. UC San Diego's last four outings have finished at both ends of the set number spectrum with two being three-set sweeps (Concordia, UC Santa Cruz) and the other two going the five-set distance (BYU twice).
The last time the Tritons and Gauchos faced off was in a 2021 Big West Championship title match in Hawaii. UC Santa Barbara took a 3-1 win to earn the conference's automatic berth in the National Collegiate Championship tournament. You can check out the story and box score from that match here.
The Tritons will host the Gauchos inside RIMAC Arena on April 16.
THE ESSENTIALS
---Â Match 13: Big West Conference ---
• No. 11 UC San Diego (7-5, 0-0) at No. 6Â
UC Santa Barbara (9-4, 0-0)
• Thursday / February 24 / 7 p.m. PDT
•
Robertson Gymnasium / Santa Barbara, Calif. (
map)
•
Tickets
•
Live Video
•Â
Live Stats
•
Twitter /
Instagram
ABOUT THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
Roster |Â
Schedule & Results |Â
Statistics
• Overall: 7-5
• Big West: 0-0
• Home: 4-3
• Away: 3-2
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: W4
• vs. Ranked Teams: 3-3
• AVCA national ranking: 11th
• Big West Preseason Poll: 3rd of 6
ABOUT THE UC SANTA BARBARA GAUCHOS
Roster |Â
Schedule & Results |Â
Statistics
• Overall: 9-4
• Big West: 0-0
• Home: 6-3
• Away: 3-1
• Neutral: 0-o
• Streak: W4
• AVCA National Ranking: 6th
• Big West Preseason Poll: Tied for 4th of 6
TRITONS vs. GAUCHOS: THE SERIES
All-Time: UC Santa Barbara leads 49-8
Last Meeting: 4/24/21, UC Santa Barbara wins 3-1 (Big West Championship final)
Last UC San Diego Win: 2/15/13, 3-0 in La Jolla
Current Streak: UC Santa Barbara 20Â wins
OPEN SEASON
Since the Big West Conference began sponsoring men's volleyball in 2018, UC San Diego has posted a 1-3Â record in its season-opening league matches. Three of four were played on the road and three of four went to five sets.
• 3/11/21: UC Irvine 3, UC San Diego 2 (Irvine)
• 2/15/20: UC San Diego 3, UC Irvine 2 (Irvine)
• 2/8/19: UC Irvine 3, UC San Diego 1 (La Jolla)
• 2/23/18: UC Santa Barbara 3, UC San Diego 2 (Santa Barbara)
TAKING IT TO THE "LIM"IT
This Monday, outside hitter
Matthew Lim was named the Big West Freshman of the Week. Lim established himself as a force on the outside for the Tritons, leading the team to a pair of three-set wins at home. Against Concordia, Lim led all players with a career-high 15 kills. He hit .524 and added eight digs, both of those career-highs as well. The night prior against UC Santa Cruz, Lim finished with 11 kills on .500 hitting. He also contributed three blocks, two digs, and a service ace. For the week, Lim posted a .512 hitting percentage and averaged a team-high 4.75 points and 4.33 kills per set. He also averaged 1.67 digs and 0.5 blocks per set. The San Diego native and Torrey Pines High School alum is majoring in biology out of UC San Diego's Sixth College.
A WINNING ATTITUDE AT ALTITUDE
On Feb. 11 and 12, UC San Diego won back-to-back five-set matches against No. 11 BYU in Provo, Utah. The Friday night win was the first-ever for the Tritons against the Cougars. Not only did they get the win, they came back from two sets down to earn the upset. UC San Diego came in to the match 0-44 against BYU going back to 1993.
McCAULEYÂ NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
On Feb. 14,
Kyle McCauley was tabbed the Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Over three matches, McCauley averaged 4.11 points, 1.79 digs, and 0.5 service aces per set, all team-bests. He also averaged 3.14 kills per set. On Friday at BYU, McCauley produced a team-high 20 kills to go along with 8 blocks, 7 digs, and 2 aces. Fittingly, he had the final kill of the five-set match to clinch UC San Diego's first-ever win against the Cougars. The next night, McCauley totaled 11 kills, 9 digs, 3 blocks, 3 aces, and 3 assists in the Tritons' second-straight five-set win against the Cougars. In addition, McCauley led all players with 13 kills against No. 2 UCLA Wednesday at RIMAC Arena. He also contributed nine digs, two aces, and two blocks. It is the third Big West weekly honor for McCauley, who earned Player of the Week accolades twice in 2020.Â
WE MISSED YOU!
The Feb. 9 contest against No. 2 UCLA was the first time fans were allowed to spectate at a men's volleyball match since March 11, 2000. The fans were anxious to come back as 1,505 showed up for last week's affair against the Bruins. It stands as the third-highest attendance number recorded for a match at RIMAC Arena.
2022 BIG WEST STANDINGS (through 2/23)
| Team |
Big West |
Overall |
| Hawaii |
0-0 |
13-2 |
| Long Beach State |
0-0 |
7-2 |
| UC Santa Barbara |
0-0 |
9-4 |
| UC San Diego |
0-0 |
7-5 |
| CSUN |
0-0 |
3-3 |
| UC Irvine |
0-0 |
5-8 |
UC SAN DIEGO ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Starters Returning (5)
•
Shane Benetz (Sr., MB)
•
Logan Clark (Jr., MB)
•
Blake Crisp (Sr., S)
•
Ryan Ka (Jr., OH)
•
Kyle McCauley (Sr., OH)
Starters Lost (1)
•
Collin Shannon (OPP)
Primary Liberos Returning (1)
• Matt Palma (Sr.)
Others Returning (7)
• Andrew Boyle (So., S)
• Wyatt Harrison (Sr., OH)
• Berkeley Miesfeld (Jr., OPP)
• Nick Rigo (So., MB)
• Charlie Siragusa (Sr., OH/OPP)
• Michael Urdahl (Jr., MB)
• Paya Vatanshenas (R-Fr., L)
Others Lost (6)
• Gabe Avillion (MB)
• Will Campbell (S)
• Bryce Curtis (OH)
• Macune Gilruth (OPP)
• Marco Posada (OH/OPP)
• Ryan Swartz (OH)
Newcomers (8)
• Ben Blakely (Fr., OPP/OH)
• Gabriel Dyer (Fr., S/OPP)
• Jim Garrison (Fr., MB)
• Jason Lee (Fr., OH)
• Matthew Lim (Fr., OH)
• Brett Pursley (Fr., OH)
• Josh Schellinger (Fr., OH)
• Peter Selcho (Fr., MB)
2022 DEBUTS
Here's a look at the Tritons that have made their collegiate debuts this season.
•
Ben Blakely: 1/14 vs. Harvard
•
Gabriel Dyer: 1/21 vs. Grand Canyon
•
Jason Lee: 1/21 vs. Grand Canyon
•
Matthew Lim: 1/28 at NJIT
•
Josh Schellinger: 1/28 at NJIT
•
Michael Urdahl: 2:18 vs. UC Santa Cruz
•
Paya Vatanshenas: 1/14Â vs. HarvardÂ
McCAULEY NAMED A PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN ... AGAIN
Senior outside hitter
Kyle McCauley was recently named to Off the Block's Preseason All-America Second Team. In 2021, he was selected to the organization's preseason first team. McCauley concluded his 2021 campaign with several major accolades including AVCA All-America Honorable Mention, All-Big West Conference First Team, and Big West All-Academic.
GAME DAY HAS A NEW LOOK
Triton fans now have a whole new way to access game day information, as game programs have gone digital! Fans can access the programs from their smart phone at
this link or scan the QR code at the entrance to RIMAC Arena for everything they need to know about each home match, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch on ESPN+.
McCAULEY BALL
On Jan. 28 at NJIT,
Kyle McCauley established a new career-high with 27 kills, three more than his previous best. That is the most kills in a five-set match by any player in NCAA Division I and Division II this season. It's also the second-most kills in any match this year, eclipsed only by USC's Simon Gallas, who put down 30 in a four-set match.
UC SAN DIEGO'S RECORD ...
• Overall: 7-5
• In Big West matches: 0-0
• In non-conference matches: 7-5
• At home: 4-3
• On the road: 3-2
• In 3 set matches: 3-1
• In 4 set matches: 1-3
• In 5 set matches: 3-1
• Against nationally-ranked teams: 3-3
• Against non-ranked teams: 4-2
• On Wednesdays: 0-2
• On Thursdays: 0-0
• On Fridays: 3-3
• On Saturdays: 4-0
• When out-hitting opponent: 6-0
• When out-hit by opponent: 1-5
• When hitting percentage is equal: 0-0
• When out-acing opponent: 5-0
• When out-aced by opponent: 2-5
• When aces are equal: 0-0
• When out-digging opponent: 4-3
• When out-dug by opponent: 3-2
• When digs are equal: 0-0
• When out-blocking opponent: 4-0
• When out-blocked by opponent: 2-4
• When blocks are equal: 1-1
• When hitting .250 or better: 6-3
• When hitting under .250: 1-2
2022Â UC SAN DIEGO INDIVIDUAL MATCH-HIGHS
2022Â UC SAN DIEGO TEAM MATCH-HIGHS
| Kills |
67 |
at BYU |
2/11 |
| Attack Attempts |
146 |
at NJIT |
1/28 |
| Hitting Percentage |
.427 (49-14-82) |
vs. Concordia |
2/19 |
| Assists |
64 |
at BYU |
2/11 |
| Service Aces |
9 |
at Princeton |
1/29 |
| Digs |
48 |
at NJIT |
1/28 |
| Total Blocks |
12.0 |
vs. Harvard |
1/14 |
UC SAN DIEGO AMONG THE 2022Â NATIONAL STAT LEADERS (top 10 only)
| Stat |
Value |
National Rank |
| Attacks/Set |
27.92 |
2 |
| Kills/Set |
12.73 |
5 |
| Assists/Set |
12.0 |
5 |
| Digs/Set |
9/33 |
6 |
TRITONS AMONG THE 2022Â NATIONAL STAT LEADERS (top 20Â only)
2022Â BOX SCORES
• 2/19:
No. 11 UC San Diego 3, Concordia 0
• 2/18:
No. 11 UC San Diego 3, UC Santa Cruz 0
• 2/12:
No. 14 UC San Diego 3, No. 11 BYU 2
• 2/11:
No. 14 UC San Diego 3, No. 11 BYU 2
• 2/9:
No. 2 UCLA 3, No. 14 UC San Diego 1
• 2/4:
Concordia Irvine 3, No. 13 UC San Diego 1
• 2/2:
No. 7 USC 3, No. 13 UC San Diego 0
• 1/29:
No. 12 UC San Diego 3, Princeton 2
• 1/28:
NJIT 3, No. 12 UC San Diego 2
• 1/21:
No. 6 Grand Canyon 3, No. 8 UC San Diego 1
• 1/15:
No. 10 UC San Diego 3, No. 12 Stanford 0
• 1/14:
No. 10Â UC San Diego 3, Harvard 1
AVCA NATIONAL POLL
(2/21/22)
1. UCLA
2. Long Beach State
3. Hawaii
4. Penn State
5. USC
6. UC Santa Barbara
7. Pepperdine
8. Ball State
9. Grand Canyon
10. Lewis
11. UC San Diego
12. Stanford
13. BYU
14. Loyola-Chicago
15. Ohio State
Receiving Votes: Lincoln Memorial, UC Irvine, McKendree, NJIT
ROCK THE VOTE
Here's a look at where UC San Diego has stood in this season's AVCA National Poll.
• 2/21: 11th
• 2/14: 11th
• 2/7: 14th
• 1/31: 13th
• 1/24: 12th
• 1/17: 8th
• 1/10: 10th
• Preseason: 10th
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.
2. Long Beach State
3. Hawaii
6. UC Santa Barbara
11. UC San Diego
2022Â BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL
T-1. Hawai'i (3Â first place votes), 21Â points
T-1. Long Beach State (3), 21
3. UC San Diego, 19
T-4. UC Irvine, 11
T-4. UC Santa Barbara, 11
6. CSUN, 7
2021 CAMPAIGN IN BULLET POINTS
• The Tritons opened the season on February 24. It was the team's first match since March 11 of 2020 (350 days) due to the pandemic.
• Outside hitter
Kyle McCauley named AVCA All-America Honorable Mention
• Outside hitter
Kyle McCauley named to All-Big West Conference First Team
• Outside hitter
Kyle McCauley named Big West Conference All-Academic
• Middle blocker
Shane Benetz named All-Big West Conference Honorable Mention
• The Tritons earned their first-ever postseason win when they defeated CSUN, 3-1, in the first round of the Big West Tournament
• UC San Diego took down No. 1-ranked, top-seeded, and undefeated Hawaii, 3-2, in a Big West Tournament semifinal
• The Tritons advanced to the championship match of the Big West Tournament for the first time everÂ
2021Â HONOR ROLL
•Â
Kyle McCauley:Â AVCA All-America Honorable Mention, All-Big West Conference First Team, Off the Block Preseason All-America First Team, Big West All-Academic, UC San Diego All-Triton Scholar-Athlete Team, UCSDTritons.com Athlete of the Week (4/26)
•
Shane Benetz:Â All-Big West Conference Honorable Mention, Big West All-Academic
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'sÂ
Return to Learn site.
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
HEAD COACH KEVIN RING
Now in his 17th season heading up the UC San Diego men's volleyball program,Â
Kevin Ring currently owns a 126-318 (.284) overall record at the school. 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. For Ring's complete bio,
click here.
NCAA MEN'S VOLLEYBALL LANDSCAPE
The NCAA combines Division I and Division II teams into a single national championship (National Collegiate Championship), while Division III squads have a stand-alone championship (NCAA Division III National Championship). There are 58 Division I and Division II teams combined, with 44 of those making up six conferences. Another 14 institutions are independent.
In 2023, the Northeast Conference (NEC) will become the seventh conference to compete at the Division I/II level in men's volleyball. Of the six programs that will make up the NEC, two are current independents (Fairleigh Dickinson and LIU, both of which started competition in the 2022 season), one will start a new varsity program in 2023 (Merrimack), and three will move from the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis (PA)).
Big West Conference (6)
CSUNÂ (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)Â (DII)
Lees-McRae (DII)
Mount Olive (DII)
North Greenville (DII)
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (9)
Charleston (WV) (DII)
George Mason (DI)
Harvard (DI)
NJIT (DI)
Penn State (DI)
Princeton (DI)
Sacred Heart (DI)
Saint Francis (PA) (DI)
St. Francis Brooklyn (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)
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (6)
Benedict (DII)
Central State (DII)
Edward Waters (DII)
Fort Valley State (DII)
Kentucky State (DII)
Morehouse (DII)
Independent (14)
Alderson Broaddus (DII)
American International (DII)
Daemen (DII)
D'Youville (DII)
Fairleigh Dickinson (DII)
Limestone (DII)
Lincoln Memorial (DII)
Long Island University (DII)
Maryville (DII)
Puerto Rico at Bayamon (DII)
Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (DII)
Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras (DII)
Queens (NC) (DII)
Tusculum (DII)
BE SOCIAL!
UC San Diego Athletics on Facebook (UCSDtritons)
UC San Diego Athletics on Instagram (UCSDtritons)
UC San Diego Athletics on Twitter (@UCSDtritons)
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 theÂ
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 TritonsÂ
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.
