LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego men's volleyball powered past visiting Daemen on Friday night, winning 3-1 with set scores of 25-17, 21-25, 25-18, 25-15. The Tritons hit .211, thanks in part to a .500 clip in set four, to move to 2-0 on the young season.
 
The visiting Wildcats were held to a .075 hitting percentage. The Tritons had 10 blocks, led by Leo Wiemelt's six block assists. Both teams struggled from the service line, with Daemen recording 26 services errors and UC San Diego recording 19.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons pulled away from Daemen late in set one, using a 6-1 run to take a 23-16 lead. Five of those points came on errors from the visitors. Kills from Wiemelt and Leo Pravednikov then helped the Tritons close out the set with a 25-17 advantage.
 
Daemen led for most of set two and enjoyed their best hitting rate of the match, checking in at .231. The Wildcats combined that effort with a strong defensive one, holding the Tritons to a .040 rate to take set two 25-21. Daemen was up 24-18 before a short Triton comeback effort, which ultimately fell short.
 
A back-and-forth third set saw the Tritons build an early 15-10 lead before Daemen surged back to close the deficit to one. Two-straight kills from setter John Luers helped the Tritons grow the lead back to five at the 20-15 mark. The Tritons later closed the set with two kills and a block to wrap up the third with a 25-18 victory.
 
Set four was all UC San Diego as the hosts hit a match-high .500 and held Daemen to a match-worst -.111. The Tritons had 12 kills and four blocks in the final set. Luers and Pravednikov each added an ace for good measure as UC San Diego comfortably took the fourth 25-15 to secure the 3-1 match victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Wiemelt's six blocks are a new career high.
• Friday was Daemen's season opener. The Tritons are now 2-0 all-time against the Wildcats.

QUOTABLE
"We felt good out there tonight," outside hitter Sebastiano Sani said. "We are still learning our new system, so every game we are going to get better. I think the team put up a good fight today."
 
UP NEXT
The Tritons close out their three-match homestand on Sunday when they host Rockhurst at 7:00 p.m. at LionTree Arena. No broadcast will be available. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
 
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.