LA JOLLA, Calif. - The 14th-ranked UC San Diego men's volleyball team welcomes No. 2 UCLA to RIMAC Arena Wednesday night. In addition, the Tritons will welcome fans to the venue for the first time this season. 

Beginning Feb. 7, capacity at RIMAC Arena will be restricted to 50%. Those wishing to attend will need to provide proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test result from within 48 hours of the event. KN95 masks covering nose and mouth are required for all spectators and will be provided on-site. No food or drink is allowed in the facility.

The Tritons are currently 3-4 on the season after dropping their last two matches - 3-0 at USC and 3-1 against Concordia Irvine at home.

UCLA brings a 6-1 record to La Jolla. The Bruins have earned wins against Princeton, Ohio State, Penn State, CSUN, and UC Irvine (2). Their lone loss came at home against Lewis.

A busy week continues for UC San Diego as the Tritons travel to Provo, Utah, for a two-match set at No. 11 BYU Friday and Saturday. The Cougars are 5-3 with wins over UC Irvine (2), Mount Olive (2), and Ball State and losses versus Penn State (2) and Mount Olive.

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THE ESSENTIALS
--- Match 8: Non-Conference ---
• No. 14 UC San Diego (3-4) vs. No. 2 UCLA (6-1)
• Wednesday / February 9 / 7 p.m. PDT
• RIMAC Arena / La Jolla, Calif. (map)
• Tickets
• ESPN+
• Live Stats
• Twitter / Instagram
• All-Time Series Record: UCLA leads 55-7

--- Match 9: Non-Conference ---
• No. 14 UC San Diego (3-4) at No.11 BYU (5-3)
• Friday / February 11 / 6 p.m. PDT
• Smith Fieldhouse / Provo, Utah (map)
• Tickets
• Watch
• Live Stats
• Twitter / Instagram
• All-Time Series Record: BYU leads 44-0

--- Match 10: Non-Conference ---
• No. 14 UC San Diego (3-4) at No.11 BYU (5-3)
• Saturday / February 12 / 6 p.m. PDT
• Smith Fieldhouse / Provo, Utah (map)
• Tickets
• Watch
• Live Stats
• Twitter / Instagram
• All-Time Series Record: BYU leads 44-0

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ABOUT THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Overall: 3-4
• Big West: 0-0
• Home: 2-2
• Away: 1-2
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: L2
• vs. Ranked Teams: 1-2
• AVCA national ranking: 14th
• Big West Preseason Poll: 3rd of 6

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ABOUT THE UCLA BRUINS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Overall: 6-1
• MPSF: 0-0
• Home: 5-1
• Away: 1-0
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: W2
• AVCA national ranking: 2nd
• MPSF Preseason Poll: 2nd of 7

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ABOUT THE BYU COUGARS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Overall: 5-3
• MPSF: 0-0
• Home: 5-1
• Away: 0-2
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: L1
• AVCA national ranking: 11th
• MPSF Preseason Poll: 3rd of 7

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2022 BIG WEST STANDINGS (through 2/8)

Team	Big West	Overall
Long Beach State	0-0	6-1
Hawaii	0-0	7-2
CSUN	0-0	2-1
UC Santa Barbara	0-0	5-3
UC San Diego	0-0	3-4
UC Irvine	0-0	3-7

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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)

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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
• Paya Vatanshenas: 1/14 vs. Harvard 

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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.

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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+.

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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. McCauley's 56 attack attempts in that match are the most by any player this season. 

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UC SAN DIEGO'S RECORD ...
• Overall: 3-4
• In Big West matches: 0-0
• In non-conference matches: 3-4
• At home: 2-2
• On the road: 1-2
• In 3 set matches: 1-1
• In 4 set matches: 1-2
• In 5 set matches: 1-1
• Against nationally-ranked teams: 1-2
• Against non-ranked teams: 2-2
• On Wednesdays: 0-1
• On Thursdays: 0-0
• On Fridays: 1-3
• On Saturdays: 2-0
• When out-hitting opponent: 3-0
• When out-hit by opponent: 0-4
• When hitting percentage is equal: 0-0
• When out-acing opponent: 2-0
• When out-aced by opponent: 1-4
• When aces are equal: 0-0
• When out-digging opponent: 0-3
• When out-dug by opponent: 3-1
• When digs are equal: 0-0
• When out-blocking opponent: 2-0
• When out-blocked by opponent: 0-3
• When blocks are equal: 1-1
• When hitting .250 or better: 2-2
• When hitting under .250: 1-2

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2022 UC SAN DIEGO INDIVIDUAL MATCH-HIGHS

Kills	27	Kyle McCauley at NJIT	1/28
Attack Attempts	56	Kyle McCauley at NJIT	1/28
Hitting Percentage (min. 10 kills)	.750 (12-0-16)	Logan Clark at Princeton	1/29
Assists	44	Blake Crisp vs. Harvard	1/14
Service Aces	3	Wyatt Harrison at Princeton	1/29
	3	Kyle McCauley at Princeton	1/29
	3	Blake Crisp vs. Harvard	1/14
Digs	17	Matt Palma vs. CUI	2/4
Total Blocks	6	Logan Clark vs. Harvard	1/14
Points	27.5	Kyle McCauley at NJIT	1/28

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2022 UC SAN DIEGO TEAM MATCH-HIGHS

Kills	65	at NJIT	1/28
Attack Attempts	146	at NJIT	1/28
Hitting Percentage	.345 (54-14-116)	at Princeton	1/29
Assists	61	at NJIT	1/28
Service Aces	9	at Princeton	1/29
Digs	48	at NJIT	1/28
Total Blocks	12.0	vs. Harvard	1/14

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UC SAN DIEGO AMONG THE 2022 NATIONAL STAT LEADERS (top 10 only)

Stat	Value	National Rank
Attacks/Set	29.39	1
Digs/Set	9.75	2
Assists/Set	11.86	6
Kills/Set	12.54	7

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TRITONS AMONG THE 2022 NATIONAL STAT LEADERS (top 20 only)

Stat	Player	Value	National Rank
Digs/Set	Matt Palma	2.86	1
Attacks/Set	Kyle McCauley	9.92	2
Kills/Set	Kyle McCauley	4.46	4
Points/Set	Kyle McCauley	5.15	4
Hitting Percentage	Logan Clark	.427	8
Blocks/Set	Shane Benetz	1.15	8
Assists/Set	Blake Crisp	9.00	17

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2022 BOX SCORES
• 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. 10 UC San Diego 3, Harvard 1

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AVCA NATIONAL POLL
(2/7/22)
1. Long Beach State
2. UCLA
3. Hawaii
4. Penn State
5. Pepperdine
6. Lewis
7. USC
8. UC Santa Barbara
9. Grand Canyon
10. Ball State
11. BYU
12. Ohio State
13. Stanford
14. UC San Diego
15. Lincoln Memorial

Receiving Votes: UC Irvine, Concordia Irvine, McKendree, NJIT, Mount Olive
Dropped Out: UC Irvine (15)

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ROCK THE VOTE
Here's a look at where UC San Diego has stood in this season's AVCA National Poll.
• 2/7: 14th
• 1/31: 13th
• 1/24: 12th
• 1/17: 8th
• 1/10: 10th
• Preseason: 10th

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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. Long Beach State
3. Hawaii
8. UC Santa Barbara
14. UC San Diego

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2022 BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL
T-1. Hawai'i (3 first place votes), 21 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

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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 ever 

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2021 HONOR ROLL
• Kyle McCauley: 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: All-Big West Conference Honorable Mention, Big West All-Academic

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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.

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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.

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HEAD COACH KEVIN RING
Now in his 17th season heading up the UC San Diego men's volleyball program, Kevin Ring currently owns a 122-317 (.278) 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.

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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)
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 (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)

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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)

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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!

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GEAR HERE
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, visit the official team store of the Tritons here.

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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.