PHOENIX — Hitting a season-best .459, the UC San Diego men's volleyball team rolled to a sweep of Erskine Saturday at GCU Arena on the campus of Grand Canyon.
Scores went 25-21, 25-20, and 25-15.
Now winners of three of their last four matches, the Tritons improve to 4-5 overall in 2023.
Erskine fell to 2-4.
It was the first-ever meeting between the Tritons and the Fleet.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego had 43 kills and only nine errors in 74 attempts to register its top attack percentage this season. The Tritons held the Fleet to a .194 (26-12-72) attack.
The Tritons didn't stop there with season-best numbers as they set a new mark with 11Â aces from the service line.
Individually,
Josh Schellinger led all players with 12 kills. He accounted for 25 of the team's 74 attacks, 34 percent. The reigning Big West Freshman of the Week also contributed three digs, two assists, and a block.
Joshua Ewert finished with nine kills, while
Peter Selcho and
Sam Warren had eight apiece. Ewert exhibited his serving skills, racking up five aces. He hit .571 (9-1-14) while Warren hammered for a .667 (8-0-12) attack.
Ewert and
Nick Rigo had eight of the Tritons' 11 aces as Rigo finished with three.
Setter
Gabriel Dyer assisted on 19 of UC San Diego's kills.
Defensively, Rigo and
Evan Boyle had four digs each, which was a match-high.
The Fleet got 10 kills from Kacper Rybarczyk, who hit a robust .450 (10-1-20).
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WHAT HEAD COACH BRAD ROSTRATTER HAD TO SAY
"Today was good for our group. We were efficient offensively and able to side out consistently throughout the match. We are striving to be better tomorrow and over the rest of the season."
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TRITON TIDBITS
• UC San Diego is now hitting an even .300 (382-142-801) for the season.
• UC San Diego's previous attack percentage high this season was .444 (41-9-72) against Menlo last week.
• The Tritons' previous season best for aces was seven against USC on Jan. 7.
• Erskine is located in Due West, S.C., and plays in the Conference Carolinas.
• Nine Tritons have made their collegiate debuts so far this season:
Evan Boyle,
Joshua Ewert,
Jim Garrison,
Michael Robertson,
Brett Pursley,
Josh Schellinger,
Peter Selcho,
Sam Warren,
Zachary Weston.
•
Brad Rostratter, who was named UC San Diego's head coach on Oct. 7, 2022, earned his first win with the Tritons on Jan. 5 when they defeated Lincoln Memorial.
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UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays ninth-ranked and unbeaten Grand Canyon (5-0) on Sunday at 1 p.m. Pacific. The Lopes swept Erskine Friday. The match will be live on
ESPN+ and can also be followed with
live stats.
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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 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.
