LA JOLLA, Calif. - UC San Diego men's volleyball begins its 2024 season this week at UC Santa Barbara's Asics Invitational.

The Tritons, receiving votes in the preseason AVCA national poll, will play three matches inside Robertson Gymnasium. Thursday, they take on 20th-ranked George Mason at 7 p.m. Friday features a matinee as UC San Diego meets No. 7 Grand Canyon at 2 p.m. Finally, the Tritons play NJIT Saturday at 4:30 p.m. to conclude action in Santa Barbara.

In 2023, UC San Diego went 1-2 at the Asics Invitational, defeating Lincoln Memorial (3-2) before losing against No. 2 UCLA (3-0) and No. 10 USC (3-2).

All matches can be followed with live stats. Links can be found below or on the tournament page.

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THE ESSENTIALS
--- Match 1: Asics Invitational ---
• RV UC San Diego (0-0) vs. #20 George Mason (0-0)
• Thursday / January 4 / 7pm Pacific
• Robertson Gymnasium / Santa Barbara, Calif. (map)
• Tickets
• Live Stats
• Twitter / Instagram

--- Match 2: Asics Invitational ---
• RV UC San Diego (0-0) vs. #7 Grand Canyon (0-0)
• Friday / January 5 / 2pm Pacific
• Robertson Gymnasium / Santa Barbara, Calif. (map)
• Tickets
• Live Stats
• Twitter / Instagram

--- Match 3: Asics Invitational ---
• RV UC San Diego (0-0) vs. NJIT (0-0)
• Saturday / January 6 / 4:30pm Pacific
• Robertson Gymnasium / Santa Barbara, Calif. (map)
• Tickets
• Live Stats
• Twitter / Instagram

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ABOUT THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Overall: 0-0
• Big West: 0-0
• Home: 0-0
• Away: 0-0
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: N/A
• AVCA national ranking: Receiving votes
• Big West Preseason Poll: Tie for 5th of 6

ABOUT THE GEORGE MASON PATRIOTS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Overall: 0-0
• EIVA: 0-0
• Home: 0-0
• Away: 0-0
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: N/A
• AVCA national ranking: 20
• EIVA Preseason Poll: 3rd of 6

ABOUT THE GRAND CANYON LOPES
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Overall: 0-0
• MPSF: 0-0
• Home: 0-0
• Away: 0-0
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: N/A
• AVCA national ranking: 7
• MPSF Preseason Poll: Tie for 3rd of 7

ABOUT THE NJIT HIGHLANDERS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Overall: 0-0
• EIVA: 0-0
• Home: 0-0
• Away: 0-0
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: N/A
• AVCA national ranking: Not ranked
• EIVA Preseason Poll: 4th of 6

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CLICK IT FOR TICKETS
Single match and season tickets are now on sale! Please visit the Triton Box Office to purchase.

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GOT YA COVERED
All home matches (and most away matches) will be broadcast live on ESPN+ ($) and you can also follow with live stats (free). Direct links are available on the team's schedule page.

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FINAL 2023 BIG WEST STANDINGS

Team	Big West	Overall
Hawai'i	9-1	29-3
Long Beach State	9-1	21-5
UC Irvine	6-4	18-11
UC Santa Barbara	3-7	8-17
UC San Diego	2-8	8-17
CSUN	1-9	12-16

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2024 UC SAN DIEGO ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Starters Returning (4)
• Gabriel Dyer (JR, S/OPP)
• Jim Garrison (SO, MB)
• Nick Rigo (SR, MB)
• Josh Schellinger (SO, OH)

Starters Lost (2)
• Ryan Ka (OH)
• Berkeley Miesfeld (OPP)

Primary Liberos Returning (1)
• Evan Boyle (SO)

Others Returning (10)
• Andrew Boyle (SR, S)
• Josh Ewert (SO, OH)
• Matthew Lim (JR, OH)
• Leo Pravednikov (SO, OH)
• Brett Pursley (SO, OH)
• Michael Robertson (SO, OPP)
• Peter Selcho (SO, MB)
• Paya Vatanshenas (JR, L)
• Sam Warren (JR, OH)
• Cameron Wurl (SO, S)

Others Lost (4)
• Ben Blakely (OPP/OH)
• Spiro Maranda (MB)
• Michael Urdahl (MB)
• Zachary Weston (MB)

Newcomers (6)
• Luke Chandler (JR, OPP)
• Anthony Cherfan (JR, OPP)
• Keegan Cook (FR, L)
• Sebastian Lara (JR, OH)
• Leo Wiemelt (FR, MB)
• Charlie Wilson (FR, MB)

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THE LAST TIME UC SAN DIEGO ...

Won a match	4/7/23 vs. UC Santa Barbara (3-2)
Lost a match	4/20/23 vs. UC Santa Barbara (2-3)
Won at home	4/7/23 vs. UC Santa Barbara (3-2)
Lost at home	3/31/23 vs. Long Beach State (0-3)
Won on the road	3/16/23 at CSUN (3-0)
Lost on the road	4/15/23 at Hawai'i (0-3)
Won at neutral site	1/28/23 vs. Erskine (3-0 at GCU)
Lost at a neutral site	4/20/23 vs. UC Santa Barbara (2-3 at UC Irvine)
Won 3-0 at home	2/14/23 vs. Westcliff
Won 3-0 on the road	3/16/23 at CSUN
Won 3-0 at a neutral site	1/28/23 vs. Erskine (at GCU)
Lost 3-0 at home	3/31/23 vs. Long Beach State
Lost 3-0 on the road	4/15/23 at Hawai'i
Lost 0-3 at a neutral site	1/6/23 vs. UCLA (at UC Santa Barbara)
Won in four sets	3/25/22 vs. UC Irvine
Lost in four sets	4/14/23 at Hawai'i
Won 3-2 at home	4/7/23 vs. UC Santa Barbara
Won 3-2 on the road	3/26/22 at UC Irvine
Won 3-2 at a neutral site	1/5/23 vs. Lincoln Memorial (at UC Santa Barbara)
Lost 3-2 at home	3/5/23 vs. Ball State
Lost 3-2 on the road	1/28/22 at NJIT
Lost 3-2 at a neutral site	4/20/23 vs. UC Santa Barbara (at UC Irvine)
Won in five sets after trailing 0-2	2/11/22 at BYU
Lost in five sets after leading 2-0	1/7/23 vs. USC (at UC Santa Barbara)
Defeated a Big West opponent	4/7/23 vs. UC Santa Barbara (3-2)
Lost to a Big West opponent	4/20/23 vs. UC Santa Barbara (2-3 at UC Irvine)
Defeated a non-conference opponent	2/14/23 vs. Westcliff (3-0)
Lost to a non-conference opponent	3/5/23 vs. Ball State (2-3)
Defeated a ranked opponent	3/16/23 at #12 CSUN (3-0)
Lost to a ranked opponent	4/15/23 at #1 Hawai'i (0-3)
Played the No. 1 team	4/15/23 at Hawai'i (0-3)
Defeated the No. 1 team	4/23/21 at #1 Hawai'i (3-2 in Big West semifinal)

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AVCA NATIONAL POLL
(1/3/24)
1. UCLA
2. Long Beach State
3. Hawai'i
4. UC Irvine
5. Ohio State
6. Penn State
7. Grand Canyon
8. Stanford
9. BYU
10. Loyola Chicago
11. Ball State
12. USC
13. Pepperdine
14. Princeton
15. UC Santa Barbara
16. Lewis
17. CSUN
18. Charleston
19. Lincoln Memorial
20. George Mason 

Receiving votes: Purdue Fort Wayne, UC San Diego, LIU, Saint Francis

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BIG RANKINGS FOR THE BIG WEST
Five of the six Big West teams can be found in this week's AVCA Top 20 National Poll with one team receiving votes.
2. Long Beach State
3. Hawai'i
4. UC Irvine
15. UC Santa Barbara
17. CSUN
RV: UC San Diego

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UC SAN DIEGO IN THE 2024 AVCA NATIONAL POLL
Preseason (1/3): Receiving votes

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2024 BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL
1. Long Beach State (23 points, 3 first-place votes)
2. Hawai'i (21 points, 2 first-place votes)
3. UC Irvine (19 points, 1 first-place vote)
4. UC Santa Barbara (11 points)
tie-5. CSUN (8 points)
tie-5. UC San Diego (8 points)

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HEAD COACH BRAD ROSTRATTER
Brad Rostratter enters his second season leading UC San Diego in 2024. He was named head coach of the men's volleyball program on October 7, 2022. Rostratter earned his first career win with the Tritons on Jan. 5, 2023, when the team defeated Lincoln Memorial in five sets at UC Santa Barbara's Asics Invitational. It was the team's season opener. Rostratter collected his first Big West victory on the road at CSUN when the Tritons swept the Matadors on March 16. A National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Coach of the Year and two-time Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Coach of the Year, Rostratter came to La Jolla from Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, Calif., where he served as the men's volleyball head coach since the program's inception in 2019. He led the Lions to a pair of GSAC regular season titles, a league tournament title, and two appearances at the NAIA National Tournament. Complete Rostratter Bio

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2023 AWARD WINNERS
• Evan Boyle: Big West All-Freshman Team, Big West Defensive Player of the Week (3/6), Big West Freshman of the Week (1/9)
• Josh Ewert: Big West All-Freshman Team
• Jim Garrison: Big West All-Freshman Team, Big West Freshman of the Week (4/10)
• Josh Schellinger: Big West All-Freshman Team, Four-time Big West Freshman of the Week (4/17, 2/27, 2/20, 1/23), Off the Block Offensive Player of the Night (1/18)
• Peter Selcho: Off the Block Defensive Player of the Night (1/17)

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UP NEXT
UC San Diego remains on the road next week, playing Ball State in Muncie, Ind., on Jan. 11 and Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 13.

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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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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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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 60 Division I and Division II teams combined, with 49 of those making up seven conferences. Another 11 institutions are independent. In 2023, the Northeast Conference (NEC) became the seventh conference to compete at the Division I/II level in men's volleyball.

Big West (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 (6)
Charleston (WV) (DII)
George Mason (DI)
Harvard (DI)
NJIT (DI)
Penn State (DI)
Princeton (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)

Northeast Conference (8)
D'Youville (DII)
Daemen (DII)
Fairleigh Dickinson (DII)
Long Island University (DII)
Merrimack (DI)
Sacred Heart (DII)
Saint Francis (DII)
St. Francis Brooklyn (DII)

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (6)
Benedict (DII)
Central State (DII)
Edward Waters (DII)
Fort Valley State (DII)
Kentucky State (DII)
Morehouse (DII)

Independent (11)
Alderson Broaddus (DII)
American International (DII)
Limestone (DII)
Lincoln Memorial (DII)
Maryville (DII)
Missouri S&T (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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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 has begun a new era 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 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered 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. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.