LA JOLLA, Calif. - UC San Diego Men's Volleyball, which moved up two spots to No. 13 in this week's national poll, plays host to 19th-ranked Lincoln Memorial Tuesday before traveling to Vanguard Friday.

Tuesday's match is slated for a 7 p.m. first serve inside LionTree Arena.

The Tritons are 7-2 on the season. Saturday, they suffered their first home setback, falling in five sets against No. 7 Loyola Chicago.

Lincoln Memorial, located in Tennessee, brings a perfect 7-0 record to La Jolla. The Railsplitters are an independent team that plays in the Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (IVA). Other schools in the nine-team association include Barry, Catawba, Maryville, Missouri S&T, Rockhurst, Roosevelt, Thomas More, and Tusculum. Five schools (Barry, Catawba, Missouri S&T, Rockhurst, and Roosevelt) are in their first season as members.

The Railsplitters were picked to win the IVA this season.

Friday's meeting at Vanguard will be a re-match between the Tritons and Lions. The two teams met on Jan. 24 in La Jolla with UC San Diego rolling to a 3-0 sweep. The Lions are 2-1 and host The Master's Thursday.

UC San Diego head coach Brad Rostratter came to La Jolla from Vanguard, 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 Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) regular season titles, a league tournament title, and two appearances at the NAIA National Tournament.

Tickets for home matches are available through the Triton Box Office.

---

MATTER OF FACTS
--- Match 10: Non-Conference ---
• No. 13 UC San Diego (7-2) vs. No. 19 Lincoln Memorial (7-0)
• Tuesday / February 4 / 7 p.m.
• LionTree Arena / La Jolla, Calif. (map)
• Tickets
• Watch
• Live Stats
• Twitter / Instagram

--- Match 11: Non-Conference ---
• No. 13 UC San Diego (7-2) at Vanguard (2-1)
• Friday / February 7 / 7 p.m.
• Freed Center / Costa Mesa, Calif. (map)
• Tickets
• Watch
• Live Stats
• Twitter / Instagram

---

ABOUT THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Location: La Jolla, Calif.
• Conference: Big West
• Overall: 7-2
• Big West: 0-0
• Home: 5-1
• Away: 0-1
• Neutral: 2-0
• Streak: 1 loss
• AVCA national ranking: 13
• Big West Preseason Poll: 6th of 6

ABOUT THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL RAILSPLITTERS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Location: Harrogate, Tenn.
• Conference: Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (IVA)
• Overall: 7-0
• IVA: 0-0
• Home: 1-0
• Away: 5-0
• Neutral: 1-0
• Streak: 7 wins
• AVCA national ranking: 19
• IVA Preseason Poll: 1st of 9

ABOUT THE VANGUARD LIONS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Location: Costa Mesa, Calif.
• Conference: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF)
• Overall: 2-1
• MPSF: 0-0
• Home: 2-0
• Away: 0-1
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: 1 win
• AVCA national ranking: Not ranked
• MPSF Preseason Poll: 8th of 9

---

MATCH-BY-MATCH MEDIA

Date/Opponent	Result	Box Score	Recap	Highlights	Interview
2/1 vs. Loyola Chicago	L 3-2	Box Score	Recap	Highlights	Brad Rostratter
1/24 vs. Vanguard	W 3-0	Box Score	Recap	Highlights	Anthony Cherfan
1/23 at UCLA	L 3-1	Box Score	Recap	N/A	N/A
1/18 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne	W 3-0	Box Score	Recap	NA	NA
1/17 vs. Lindenwood	W 3-1	Box Score	Recap	NA	NA
1/14 vs. George Mason	W 3-0	Box Score	Recap	Highlights	Leo Pravednikov
1/10 vs. Daemen	W 3-0	Box Score	Recap	Highlights	Josh Schellinger
1/8 vs. Saint Francis	W 3-0	Box Score	Recap	Highlights	Bryce Dvorak
1/7 vs. McKendree	W 3-0	Box Score	Recap	Highlights	Brad Rostratter

---

TRITON DEBUTS IN 2025
• Keegan Cook: 1/7 vs. McKendree, 9 digs, 3-0 win
• Bryce Dvorak: 1/7 vs. McKendree, 34 assists, 4 aces, 5 digs, 2 kills, 6 points, 3-0 win

---

GARRISON NAMED BIG WEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior middle blocker Jim Garrison was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Week on Jan. 20. Garrison was instrumental in helping the Tritons to a 3-0 week and upping the team's record to a perfect 6-0 to start to the season. His stat totals for the week included a team-high 16 blocks (three solo) to accompany 11 kills and a solid .320 (11-3-25) attack percentage. In a sweep of 18th-ranked George Mason, he finished with a match-high eight blocks (one solo) and put away three kills. In a four-set victory over Lindenwood, Garrison rang up four kills, four blocks (one solo), an assist, and a dig. To wrap up the week's action, he had four kills, four blocks (one solo), and a service ace in a sweep of Purdue Fort Wayne. He attacked at .400 with the four kills and zero miscues in 10 swings. It's the second Big West weekly award for Garrison as he was tabbed the Freshman of the Week in April of 2023.

---

HAVE A NIGHT KID!
Leo Pravdenikov had a career night in UC San Diego's sweep of George Mason on Jan. 14. The junior outside floored 15 kills with zero errors in 22 attack attempts to finish with a .682 hitting percentage. Both of those numbers were career-bests. In addition, he had four aces (another career-high), two blocks, and two digs.

---

ACE FREELY
Bryce Dvorak wasted no time putting his name in the UC San Diego Men's Volleyball record book. The grad student setter was able to floor seven service aces Jan. 8 in a sweep of Saint Francis in La Jolla. That total is the most by a Triton during the team's NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II era (since 2001). Dvorak had four aces in the first set, one in set two, and two in set three (the final two points of the match). Teammate Anthony Cherfan was the previous record holder as he had six aces against USC in 2024.

---

BROOMTOWN
UC San Diego has kicked off its 2025 campaign with four-straight sweeps, the first time the Tritons have accomplished that as an NCAA Division I/II team (since 2001). The last time the team opened its season 4-0 was in 1989. As an NCAA Division III team in 1996, the Tritons collected six wins to start the season.

---

CHERFAN NAMED THE SEASON'S FIRST BIG WEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UC San Diego's Anthony Cherfan was named the Big West Men's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week on Jan. 6. A senior opposite hitter, Cherfan was instrumental in helping the Tritons go 3-0 at the North American Challenge in Long Beach. UC San Diego swept all three of its opponents - Calgary, Saskatchewan, and Trinity Western - in exhibition matches. Friday against Calgary, Cherfan finished with a match-high 10 kills on .533 hitting with four blocks, four digs, two aces, and two assists. In Saturday's topping of Trinity Western, the Los Angeles native had a match-best eight kills to go along with a team-high five blocks and three aces. Cherfan was named to the North American Challenge All-Tournament Team for his efforts.

---

SWEEPING THROUGH THE NORTH AMERICAN CHALLENGE
UC San Diego went 3-0, all sweeps, in exhibition matches at Long Beach State's North American Challenge Jan. 3-4. The Tritons topped Canadian universities Calgary, Saskatchewan, and Trinity Western. Opposite Anthony Cherfan and setter Bryce Dvorak were named to the all-tournament team.

---

CHERFAN SELECTED TO BIG WEST COACHES' PRESEASON TEAM
Senior opposite hitter Anthony Cherfan earned a spot on the 2025 Big West Coaches' Preseason Team. In 2024, he was named AVCA All-America Honorable Mention as well as All-Big West First Team. He led the Tritons in kills (279), kills/set (3.13), points (348), points/set (3.91), service aces (37), and service aces/set (0.24). He was third on the team in blocks (61). Cherfan registered a double-figure kill total in 17 matches, including eight of his final nine outings. He put down a career-best 17 kills in late January in a five-set win against USC. His six service aces in that victory were the most by a Triton since 2006. In Big West matches, Cherfan ranked high among conference players as well, finishing fourth in kills, fifth in points and aces, 10th in hitting percentage, and 13th in blocks.

---

2025 BIG WEST STANDINGS
(through 2/3)

Team	Big West	Overall
Hawai'i	0-0	8-0
Long Beach State	0-0	8-0
UC Irvine	0-0	7-0
CSUN	0-0	7-2
UC San Diego	0-0	7-2
UC Santa Barbara	0-0	6-2

---

2025 UC SAN DIEGO ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Starters Returning (5)
• Anthony Cherfan (Sr., OPP)
• Sebastian Lara (Sr., OH)
• Jim Garrison (Jr., MB)
• Peter Selcho (Jr., MB)
• Josh Schellinger (Jr., OH)

Starters Lost (1)
• Gabriel Dyer (S)

Primary Liberos Returning (1)
• Evan Boyle (So.)

Others Returning (12)
• Luke Chandler (Sr., OPP)
• Keegan Cook (So., L)
• Josh Ewert (Jr., OH)
• Matthew Lim (Sr., OH)
• Leo Pravednikov (Jr., OH)
• Brett Pursley (Jr., OH)
• Nick Rigo (Sr., MB)
• Michael Robertson (Jr., OPP)
• Sam Warren (Sr., OH)
• Leo Wiemelt (So., MB)
• Charlie Wilson (So., MB)
• Cameron Wurl (So., S)

Others Lost (2)
• Andrew Boyle (S)
• Paya Vatanshenas (L)

Newcomers (3)
• Bryce Dvorak (Grad, S)
• Landon Seymour (Jr., S)
• Ben Warren (Fr., OH)

---

UC SAN DIEGO'S RECORD ...
(through 2/3)

Overall	7-2
In the Big West	0-0
At home	5-1
On the road	0-1
At a neutral site	2-0
In 3 set matches	6-0
In 4 set matches	1-1
In 5 set matches	0-1
On Tuesdays	2-0
On Wednesdays	1-0
On Thursdays	0-1
On Fridays	3-0
On Saturdays	1-1
On Sundays	0-0
In January	7-1
In February	0-1
In March	0-0
In April	0-0
vs. Nationally-ranked teams	2-2
vs. Unranked teams	5-0
With more kills than opponent	6-0
With fewer kills than opponent	1-2
When kills are equal	0-0
When out-hitting opponent	7-0
When out-hit by opponent	0-2
When hitting is equal	0-0
With more aces than opponent	6-0
With fewer aces than opponent	1-2
When aces are equal	0-0
With more blocks than opponent	7-1
With fewer blocks than opponent	0-1
When blocks are equal	0-0
With more digs than opponent	4-1
With fewer digs than opponent	1-1
When digs are equal	2-0

 

---

THE LAST TIME UC SAN DIEGO ...
(through 2/3)

Won a match	1/24/25 vs. Vanguard (3-0)
Lost a match	2/1/25 vs. Loyola Chicago (2-3)
Won at home	1/24/25 vs. Vanguard (3-0)
Lost at home	2/1/25 vs. Loyola Chicago (2-3)
Won on the road	3/15/24 at CSUN (3-2)
Lost on the road	1/23/25 at UCLA (3-1)
Won at neutral site	1/18/25 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (3-0 at CSUN)
Lost at a neutral site	1/5/24 vs. Grand Canyon (0-3 at UC Santa Barbara)
Won 3-0 at home	1/24/25 vs. Vanguard
Won 3-0 on the road	3/16/23 at CSUN
Won 3-0 at a neutral site	1/18/25 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Lost 0-3 at home	3/30/24 vs. Long Beach State
Lost 0-3 on the road	3/29/24 at Long Beach State
Lost 0-3 at a neutral site	1/5/24 vs. Grand Canyon (at UC Santa Barbara)
Won in four sets	1/17/25 vs. Lindenwood
Lost in four sets	1/23/25 at UCLA
Won 3-2 at home	1/31/24 vs. USC
Won 3-2 on the road	3/15/23 at CSUN
Won 3-2 at a neutral site	1/6/24 vs. NJIT (at UC Santa Barbara)
Lost 3-2 at home	2/1/25 vs. Loyola Chicago
Lost 3-2 on the road	4/5/24 at UC Santa Barbara
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	3/15/23 at CSUN
Lost in five sets after leading 2-0	1/7/23 vs. USC (at UC Santa Barbara)
Defeated a Big West opponent	4/13/24 vs. Hawai'i (3-0)
Lost to a Big West opponent	4/12/24 vs. Hawai'i (1-3)
Defeated a non-conference opponent	1/24/25 vs. Vanguard (3-0)
Lost to a non-conference opponent	2/1/25 vs. Loyola Chicago (2-3)
Defeated a ranked opponent	1/14/25 vs. No. 18 George Mason (3-0)
Lost to a ranked opponent	2/1/25 vs. #7 Loyola Chicago (2-3)
Played the No. 1 team	3/30/24 vs. Long Beach State (0-3)
Defeated the No. 1 team	4/23/21 at Hawai'i (3-2 in Big West semifinal)

---

UC SAN DIEGO SEASON-HIGHS
(through 2/3)

Statistic	Team	Individual
Kills	55, 2/1 vs. Loyola Chicago	21, Cherfan (2/1 vs. Loyola Chicago)
Attack Attempts	126, 2/1 vs. Loyola Chicago	41, Cherfan (2/1 vs. Loyola Chicago)
Attack Percentage	.543 (43-5-70) (1/24 vs. Vanguard	.682, Pravednikov (1/4 vs. George Mason)
Assists	54 (2/1 vs. Loyola Chicago)	50, Dvorak (2/1 vs. Loyola Chicago)
Aces	12 (1/8 vs. Saint Francis)	7, Dvorak (1/8 vs. Saint Francis)
Digs	43 (2/1 vs. Loyola Chicago)	13, Cook (2/1 vs. Loyola Chicago)
Block Solo	3 (1/17 vs. Lindenwood)	2, Garrison (1/7 vs. McKendree)
Block Assist	16 (1/14 vs. George Mason)	7, Garrison (1/14 vs. George Mason)
Total Blocks	11 (1/17 vs. Lindenwood)	8, Garrison/Pravednikov
Points	68.5 (2/1 vs. Loyola Chicago)	22.5, Cherfan (2/1 vs. Loyola Chicago)

---

MATCH-BY-MATCH LEADERS
(through 1/31)

Opponent	Kills	Assists	Aces	Blocks	Digs	Points
vs. Loyola Chicago	Cherfan 21	Dvorak 50	Pravednikov 3	Pravednikov 5	Cook 13	Cherfan 22.5
vs. Vanguard	Schellinger 10	Dvorak 31	Dvorak 3	Cherfan/Garrison/Wiemelt 2	Cook 11	Schellinger 10.5
at UCLA	Cherfan/Pravednikov 11	Dvorak 30	Cherfan 4	Garrison 6	Cook 11	Cherfan 17
vs. Purdue Fort Wayne	Cherfan 11	Dvorak 33	Dvorak 3	Garrison 4	Pravednikov/Schellinger 7	Cherfan 14.0
vs. Lindenwood	Cherfan 13	Dvorak 35	5 with 1	Dvorak/Garrison/Selcho 4	Cook 10	Cherfan 16
vs. George Mason	Pravednikov 15	Dvorak 27	Pravednikov 4	Garrison 8	Schellinger 6	Pravednikov 20
vs. Daemen	Schellinger 8	Dvorak 24	5 with 1	Selcho 5	Cook 7	Schellinger 9.5
vs. Saint Francis	Pravednikov 8	Dvorak 26	Dvorak 7	Garrison/Pravednikov/Selcho 3	Dvorak 5	Pravednikov 10.5
vs. McKendree	Schellinger 12	Dvorak 34	Dvorak 4	Garrison 7	Cook/Schellinger 9	Schellinger 13

---

AVCA NATIONAL POLL 
(2/3/25)
1. Long Beach State
2. UC Irvine
3. UCLA
4. Hawai'i
5. USC
6. BYU
7. Loyola Chicago 
8. Ball State
9. Stanford
10. Pepperdine
11. Grand Canyon
12. Lewis
13. UC San Diego
14. Ohio State
15. UC Santa Barbara
16. CSUN
t-17. Penn State
t-17. Princeton
19. Lincoln Memorial
20. George Mason

Receiving votes: NJIT, McKendree, Lindenwood
Dropped out: Harvard (19)

---

UC SAN DIEGO IN THE 2025 AVCA NATIONAL POLL
• Week 4 (2/3): 13
• Week 3 (1/27): 15
• Week 2 (1/20): 14
• Week 1 (1/13): 17
• Preseason (12/30): 18

---

BIG RANKINGS FOR THE BIG WEST
All six Big West teams can be found in the latest AVCA Top 20 National Poll.
1. Long Beach State
2. UC Irvine
4. Hawai'i
13. UC San Diego
15. UC Santa Barbara
16. CSUN

---

2025 AWARD WINNERS
• Anthony Cherfan: Big West Preseason Coaches' Team, Big West Defensive Player of the Week (1/7), North American Challenge All-Tournament Team
• Bryce Dvorak: North American Challenge All-Tournament Team
• Jim Garrison: Big West Defensive Player of the Week (1/20)

---

2024 AWARD WINNERS
• Anthony Cherfan: All-Big West First Team, Big West Offensive Player of the Week (4/15)
• Sebastian Lara: All-Big West Honorable Mention
• Josh Schellinger: Big West Defensive Player of the Week (2/26)
• Leo Wiemelt: Big West Freshman of the Week (2/19)
• Peter Selcho: Big West Defensive Player of the Week (1/8), Asics Invitational All-Tournament Team (1/6)
• Matthew Lim: Asics Invitational All-Tournament Team (1/6)

---

HEAD COACH BRAD ROSTRATTER
Brad Rostratter enters his third season leading UC San Diego in 2025. 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

---

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)

---

ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire UC San Diego athletics program has completed its four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of the Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. All UC San Diego sports are now eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.

---

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!

---

GEAR HERE
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, visit the official team store of the Tritons here.

---

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.

---

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 61 Division I and Division II teams combined, with 53 of those making up eight conferences. Another eight institutions are independent.

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)

East Coast Conference (4)
American International (DII)
Dominican (NY) (DII)
Roberts Wesleyan (DII)
St. Thomas Aquinas (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 (9)
Ball State (DI)
Lewis (DII)
Lindenwood (DI)
Loyola Chicago (DI)
McKendree (DII)
Ohio State (DI)
Purdue Fort Wayne (DI)
Queens University of Charlotte (DI)
Quincy (DII)

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (7)
BYU (DI)
Concordia (DII)
Grand Canyon (DI)
Pepperdine (DI)
Stanford (DI)
UCLA (DI)
USC (DI)

Northeast Conference (7)
Daemen (DII)
D'Youville (DII)
Fairleigh Dickinson (DI)
Long Island University (DI)
Merrimack (DI)
Sacred Heart (DI)
Saint Francis (Pa.) (DI)

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

Independent (8)
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)
Thomas More (DII)
Tusculum (DII)

---

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.