LA JOLLA, Calif. – With a sweep of No. 18 George Mason Tuesday evening, the 17th-ranked UC San Diego men's volleyball team remained perfect on the season.
Scores from LionTree Arena were 25-15, 25-18, and 25-17.
The Tritons moved to 4-0 overall and 12-0 in sets, winning every match thus far without dropping a single frame.
It is the first time in the program's NCAA Division I and Division II era (since 2001) that it has opened a season with four-consecutive victories.
It was the first match of the season for George Mason, located in Fairfax, Va.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
For the third time in 2025 UC San Diego hit over .300, coming in at .394 with 35 kills and just nine errors in 66 attack attempts. The Tritons hit north of .400 in their previous two contests and now hold a solid .380 attack percentage for the season.
On the other side of the net, the Patriots hit a negative .090 with 18 kills and 24 errors in 67 swings.
The Tritons came out swinging, hitting .471 in the opening frame, their best number of the night. They were also strong defensively, holding a 10-4 advantage in blocks and a 21-17 edge in digs overall.
Leo Pravednikov put away 15 kills, a career-best and match-high. He made zero errors in 22 attacks, giving him a .682 percentage. In addition, he led all players with four aces, also a career-high.
Anthony Cherfan followed with nine kills and Josh Schellinger had six.
Setter Bryce Dvorak orchestrated the offense and finished with 27 assists.
At the net, four Tritons had multiple blocks, led by Jim Garrison with eight (one solo). Cherfan and Schellinger each had three.
Schellinger was the team leader in digs with six.
For George Mason, Gio Collazo led with six kills and Liam French was just behind with five. Collazo also contributed five digs in the loss.
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THE HIGHLIGHTS
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LEO PRAVEDNIKOV INTERVIEW
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TRITON TIDBITS
• Leo Pravednikov's previous career-high in kills was eight.
• Through four matches, Triton opponents are hitting just .107.
• UC San Diego's 10 blocks were a season-high.
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UP NEXT
UC San Diego faces its first road trip later this week. The Tritons travel to the San Fernando Valley to take part in CSUN's Under Armour Challenge Jan. 17-18. They go up against Lindenwood Friday and Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday. Both of those opponents are receiving votes in this week's national poll.
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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 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.
