LA JOLLA, Calif. — The UC San Diego men's volleyball team ran into a hot-hitting and hot-serving UCLA squad and was defeated 3-1 Wednesday night at RIMAC Arena.

Scores of the non-conference tilt were 22-25, 25-18, 25-23, and 25-16. The Tritons dropped to 3-5 on the season while the Bruins improved to 7-1.

UC San Diego is ranked 14th nationally while UCLA is No. 2.

It was the first match this season that fans were welcomed to RIMAC Arena and they didn't disappoint. A crowd of 1,505 showed up and created an electrifying environment.

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HOW IT HAPPENED
UCLA finished with a .367 hitting percentage after totaling 55 kills and only 15 errors in 109 attacks. The Bruins also dropped in 13 service aces and held advantages in kills (55-41), assists (51-40), and digs (33-30).

UC San Diego ended with a .263 hitting percentage on 41 kills and 15 errors in 99 swings.

Both teams had six blocks apiece.

For the Tritons, three players finished with double-figure kill totals including outside hitters Kyle McCauley (13) and Ryan Ka (12) as well as opposite Wyatt Harrison (10). Ka hit .333 (12-3-27) and middle blocker Shane Benetz hit .667 (4-0-6) and middle Logan Clark had five blocks (two solos). McCauley and libero Matt Palma, who leads the nation in digs per set, had a match-high nine digs each.

Ethan Champlin and Ido David were responsible for most of UCLA's damage from the service line as they both finished with four aces. Cole Ketrzyski had a team-high 13 kills while David, Guy Genis, and Merrick McHenry all had nine kills. McHenry also contributed four blocks.

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HIGHLIGHT REEL



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KEVIN RING INTERVIEW



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TRITON TIDBITS
• Tonight's attendance of 1,505 was the third-largest on record for a men's volleyball match at RIMAC Arena.
• UCLA's 13 aces were the most against the Tritons since Jan. 18, 2014 when BYU had 15. 
• Kyle McCauley has finished with at least 13 kills in all seven of his matches played.

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UP NEXT
UC San Diego has a quick turnaround as the team hits the road for Provo, Utah for a pair of matches against No. 11 BYU on Feb. 11 and Feb. 12. 

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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 II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 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.