LA JOLLA, Calif. — The 2026 men's volleyball season gets underway this week as UC San Diego welcomes three opponents to La Jolla and LionTree Arena.
 
The Tritons host Jessup on Tuesday in the season opener before facing Daemen on Friday and Rockhurst on Sunday. All three contests begin at 7:00 p.m., with Tuesday and Friday's matches airing on ESPN+.
 
MATCH DETAILS
Match 1
UC San Diego vs Jessup
Tuesday, Jan. 6 | 7:00 p.m.
LionTree Arena | La Jolla, Calif.
Series Record: First Meeting
Watch | Live Stats
 
Match 2
UC San Diego vs Daemen
Friday, Jan. 9 | 7:00 p.m.
LionTree Arena | La Jolla, Calif.
Series Record: UC San Diego leads 1-0
Last Meeting: UC San Diego 3, Daemen 0 on Jan. 10, 2025 (Box)
Watch | Live Stats
 
Match 3
UC San Diego vs Rockhurst
Sunday, Jan. 11 | 7:00 p.m.
LionTree Arena | La Jolla, Calif.
Series Record: First Meeting
Live Stats
 
ABOUT THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics

• Location: La Jolla, Calif.
• Conference: Big West
• AVCA National Ranking: 10
• Big West Preseason Poll: Tied 4th out of 6

ABOUT THE JESSUP WARRIORS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics

• Location: Rocklin, Calif.
• Conference: MPSF
• AVCA National Ranking: None
• MPSF Preseason Poll: 9th out of 10

ABOUT THE DAEMEN WILDCATS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics

• Amherst, N.Y.
• Conference: NEC
• AVCA National Ranking: None
• 2025 NEC Finish: 3rd out of 5

2026 BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2026 Outrigger Big West Men's Volleyball Championship will be April 23-25 at the Bren Events Center on the campus of UC Irvine. All six Big West squads will participate.
 
The top two seeds after the regular season will earn a bye to the semifinal round of the single-elimination championship. Tickets will go on sale at a later date.
 
UC San Diego Athletics completed a department-wide transition to NCAA Division I in 2024. All Tritons sports are eligible for conference and national postseason play.
 
AMONG THE RANKS
The preseason AVCA National Collegiate Poll sees the No. 10 Tritons set to face fellow ranked opponents in 16 of their 25 matches this season. Those contests will be an even split between home and away.

• No. 1 UCLA
• No. 2 Hawai'i
• No. 3 Long Beach State
• No. 6 UC Irvine
• No. 7 Loyola Chicago
• No. 8 BYU
• No. 11 CSUN
• No. 12 Lewis
• No. 17 UC Santa Barbara
• No. 18 Princeton

2026 BIG WEST OUTLOOK
The Tritons were picked to finish in a tie for fourth in the 2026 Big West Men's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. That mirrors UC San Diego's finish at the end of the 2025 season.
 
All six Big West teams are ranked nationally. Hawai'i has the best national ranking, checking in at No. 2.
 
Long Beach State was picked to win The Big West after winning the national championship last season.
 
BIG SHOES TO FILL
In 2025, UC San Diego saw opposite hitter Anthony Cherfan, setter Bryce Dvorak and outside hitter Josh Schellinger earn both All-Big West and All-American honors in their final season with the Tritons.
 
HEAD COACH BRAD ROSTRATTER
Brad Rostratter enters his fourth season leading UC San Diego in 2026. 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, 2023. 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
 

Overall	Wins	Losses	Pct.		Big West	Wins	Losses	Pct.
2025	18	12	.600		2025	3	7	.300
2024	12	15	.444		2024	4	6	.400
2023	8	17	.320		2023	2	8	.200
Totals	38	44	.463		Totals	9	20	.310

 
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's soccer matches, men's and women's volleyball matches, baseball and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego volleyball, visit UCSDTritons.com/live.

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.

TRITON VOLLEYBALL TALK
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. New episodes of Tritoncast are available on the most popular podcasting apps and on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on X @Tritoncast.

GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO VOLLEYBALL
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through X and Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdmvb.

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
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, click here.

UP NEXT
The Tritons will travel to Utah for their first road trip of the season. Two matches with No. 8 BYU are set for Jan. 16-17.

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 24-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 39 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.