IRVINE, Calif. — UC San Diego men's volleyball saw its season come to an end Thursday as it was defeated in a five-set battle against UC Santa Barbara in the opening round of the Big West Championship.
Scores from the Bren Events Center on the campus of UC Irvine went 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 20-25, and 15-12.
Fifth-seeded UC San Diego finishes its 2023 campaign with a 8-17 record.
Fourth-seeded UC Santa Barbara (8-16) advances to face top seed and No. 1-ranked Hawai'i in a semifinal Friday at 5 p.m.
In Thursday's late first round match, third-seeded UC Irvine swept sixth-seeded CSUN and moves on to play Long Beach State, the No. 2 seed, in Friday's second semifinal at 7:30 p.m.
The Big West title match is slated for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The winner gets an automatic berth in the NCAA National Collegiate Championships.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The high-intensity match was full of long rallies, several pancakes, a kick save over the net, and multiple big-time blocks. There were 31 tie scores but only seven lead changes throughout the two hour and 38 minute contest.
UCSB was strong at the net, making 10.5 blocks and holding UC San Diego to a .283 (55-21-120) attack percentage while countering at .348 (58-12-132). The Tritons hung tough on defense with a 47-34 advantage in digs. The 47 scoops were a season-high.
Both teams finished with four service aces but combined for 54 errors from the line - 30 for the Gauchos and 24 for the Tritons.
Playing in his final career match for the Tritons, senior outside hitter
Ryan Ka put down a match-high 21 kills while hitting .390 (21-5-41).
Redshirt freshman outside
Josh Schellinger had 14 kills while fellow redshirt freshman
Jim Garrison had 10 kills and hit a stellar .562 (10-1-16). Eight Tritons had multiple digs, including sophomore setter
Gabriel Dyer, who posted a match-high nine to go along with his 48 assists. Junior middle
Nick Rigo had a solid all-around performance with five kills, four digs, three blocks (one solo), and two aces. In addition, he hit .556 with no errors (5-0-9).
For the Gauchos, Nick Amoruso led the offense with 20 kills. Ryan Wilcox was next with 17 and Ben Coordt was just behind with 16. Jack Walmer had six blocks (one solo).
The fifth and deciding set saw UC Santa Barbara hit .692 with nine kills and zero errors in 13 attacks. UC San Diego swung at .412 (9-2-17).
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UC SAN DIEGO PRESS CONFERENCE
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TRITON TIDBITS
• Along with
Ryan Ka, it was the final career match for senior opposite
Berkeley Miesfeld.
• It was the third meeting between the Tritons and Gauchos this season. Coming in, the series was tied 1-1 with each team winning on its home court.
• It was the fifth five-set match for UC San Diego in 2023. The team went 2-3 in those contests.
• For
Gabriel Dyer, it was the ninth time this year that he registered at least 40 assists.
• Nine Tritons made their collegiate debuts this season:
Evan Boyle,
Josh Ewert,
Jim Garrison,
Michael Robertson,
Brett Pursley,
Josh Schellinger,
Peter Selcho,
Sam Warren, and
Zachary Weston.
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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.
