LA JOLLA, Calif. — No. 11 UC San Diego men's volleyball's Senior Night ended on a disappointing note as No. 9 UC Santa Barbara won 3-2 on Saturday night at LionTree Arena. Set scores were 12-25, 31-29, 25-18, 24-26, 15-9 in favor of the visitors.
 
The Tritons (12-13, 3-7 Big West) finish the regular season fifth in The Big West. The Gauchos (14-11, 5-5 Big West) are fourth.
 
Senior setter Cameron Wurl had a career-high 45 assists for UC San Diego. Fellow seniors Luke Chandler and Leo Pravednikov both had 11 kills. The team's two middle blockers, seniors Jim Garrison and Peter Selcho, each registered five blocks with one solo effort.
 
The Tritons honored nine scholar-athletes before the match: Luke Chandler, Cameron Wurl, Evan Boyle, Leo Pravednikov, John Luers, Josh Ewert, Jim Garrison, Sebastiano Sani and Peter Selcho. All nine played, with only one point in the entire match being played by a non-senior.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons exploded out of the gates in set one, dominating the Gauchos throughout. UC San Diego had 13 kills, five blocks and three aces while hitting .500. The Gauchos were held to just four kills and a -.125 hitting percentage. The set was tied at four until a 14-3 Triton run that ended with a 7-0 burst gave UC San Diego an 18-7 lead. The Tritons also took six of the final nine rallies to win the first 25-12.
 
UC Santa Barbara settled in to start set two, a frame that featured 25 ties and six lead changes. Neither side led by more than two at any point. The Tritons had the edge down the stretch, leading 21-19 until the Gauchos tied the score with a kill and ace. But the visitors did not go in front until the very end as the Tritons had six set points. The hosts were unable to convert, however, with an attack error giving the Gauchos their first set point up 30-29. Another Triton attack error then ended the set at 31-29 in UC Santa Barbara's favor.
 
Set three was also close until UC Santa Barbara pulled away late. The score was tied at 16 before the Gauchos went on a 6-0 run to lead 22-16. The Tritons finally stopped the surge with a kill from Chandler, but they were unable to cut back into the deficit as UC Santa Barbara went on to take the third 25-18.
 
The Tritons had another strong showing in the first half of set four, using a 7-0 run to lead 7-2. They kept that margin up most of the way, later forcing a Gaucho timeout with the score at 20-14. UC San Diego bumped the lead up to seven, 21-14, after the timeout before the Gauchos responded with an 8-1 run to come all the way back and tie the set at 22. The two teams were tied again at 23 before a Garrison kill gave the Tritons' their first set point. UC Santa Barbara survived the next rally but could not finish off the comeback as a Gaucho service error and Sani solo block gave the Tritons set four at 26-24.
 
The fifth set was decided when a 4-3 Triton lead turned into an 8-4 Gaucho lead after a 5-0 run by the visitors. The closest the Tritons got was down three, including at 11-8. UC Santa Barbara then took four of the next five points to win the final set 15-9 and claim the 3-2 match victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Six of the last nine matches between UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara have gone to five sets.
• The Tritons have now had 15 sets go past 25 this season. UC San Diego is 6-9 in those sets. 

QUOTABLE
"Senior night is a special night and an honor," head coach Brad Rostratter said. "We have lots of guys who deserve lots of love, and I could not be more grateful for them. They have had such a big impact on the program. I am so grateful for their support and love, and I could not be more proud of the impact they have had on the team, the program, UC San Diego and the volleyball community."
 
UP NEXT
The two teams will face off again in the first round of The Big West Championship next week on the campus of UC Irvine. That match will be on Thursday, April 23, at 5:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
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.