LA JOLLA, Calif. - The 11th-ranked University of California San Diego men's volleyball team opens its 2021 season this week as it hosts a pair of matches against No. 2 Hawaii in the friendly confines of RIMAC Arena.

The Tritons and Warriors square off on Wednesday, Feb. 24 and Thursday, Feb. 25. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. both nights. All of the action can be caught live on ESPN3.

Wednesday's match will be UC San Diego's first since March 11, 2020.

Although both squads hail from the Big West Conference, the two matches will be non-conference tilts.

Hawaii brings a 2-0 record to La Jolla after defeating UC Irvine twice at the Bren Events Center in Orange County, 3-1 Sunday and 3-0 Monday.  

THE SCHEDULE
Match 1: Non-conference
No. 11 UC San Diego (0-0) vs. No. 2 Hawaii (2-0)
Wednesday • Feb. 24 • 7 p.m.
RIMAC Arena • La Jolla, Calif.
Series Record: Hawaii leads 56-4
ESPN3 • Live Stats

Match 2: Non-conference
No. 11 UC San Diego (0-0) vs. No. 2 Hawaii (2-0)
Thursday • Feb. 25 • 7 p.m.
RIMAC Arena • La Jolla, Calif.
Series Record: Hawaii leads 56-4
ESPN3 • Live Stats

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IT'S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME
Wednesday's match will be UC San Diego's first competition since March 11, 2020. On that night, the sixth-ranked Tritons swept No. 10 Penn State at RIMAC Arena. It would prove to be the final NCAA athletic contest on campus until December 21, 2020 (women's basketball vs. California Baptist). The very next day, the NCAA canceled all remaining winter and spring championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a 14-5 record, the Tritons had to forgo seven remaining regular season matches as well as the Big West Conference Tournament.

How long has it been since UC San Diego last played on March 11, 2020?
• 50 weeks
• 350 days
• 8400 hours
• 504,000 minutes
• 30,240,000 seconds
• 95.89% of a common year (365 days)

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UC SAN DIEGO AND COVID-19
UC San Diego's nationally renowned Return to Learn program was created to return to in-person teaching, learning, conducting pioneering research, and serving our communities in the safest way possible. The program has three adaptive pillars that are central to our strategy to resume on-campus activity: risk mitigation, viral detection, and intervention. For the latest information on UC San Diego and COVID-19, please visit the University's Return to Learn site.

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ATTENDING THE MATCHES
Per the current COVID-19 guidelines set by the state of California, the County of San Diego, and the Big West Conference, fans are not permitted to attend home matches in RIMAC Arena. For more information on UC San Diego ticket policies, visit UCSDTritons.com/tickets.

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COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego match in-person at RIMAC Arena this season must notify a member of the Athletics Communications staff no later than 10 a.m. on the day of a match. All media members will need to complete a UC San Diego symptom screening form on the day of the match prior to arriving on campus. Following the conclusion of each home match, a video highlight melt and video post-match interviews will be made available for media members to download.

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ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program has begun a 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. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play. Since men's volleyball has a combined NCAA national championship (NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II), the Tritons are eligible for all postseason play in that sport, as they have been since 2001. The 2021 season is the fourth for the men's volleyball team as a member of the Big West Conference . 

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UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's volleyball matches, baseball games, and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN3. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego volleyball, visit UCSDTritons.com/live.

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UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS LAUNCHES WEEKLY PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and the Big West Conference. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Audible, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, and Vurbl. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter @Tritoncast.

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ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Overall: 0-0
• Big West: 0-0
• Home: 0-0
• Away: 0-0
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: n/a
• AVCA national ranking: 11th
• Big West Preseason Poll: 4th of 6

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UC SAN DIEGO ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Starters Returning (5)
• Shane Benetz (Jr., MB)
• Logan Clark (Jr., MB)
• Kyle McCauley (Sr., OH)
• Wyatt Harrison (Sr., OH)
• Collin Shannon (Sr., OPP)

Starters Lost (1)
• Connor Walbrecht (S)

Primary Liberos Lost (1)
• Ryan Lew

Others Returning (12)
• Gabe Avillion (Sr., MB)
• Will Campbell (R-Fr., S)
• Blake Crisp (Jr., S)
• Bryce Curtis (Sr., OH)
• Macune Gilruth (R-Jr., OPP)
• Ryan Ka (R-So., OH)
• Berkeley Miesfeld (Jr., OPP)
• Matt Palma (Jr., L)
• Marco Posada (R-So., OH/OPP)
• Charlie Siragusa (Jr., OH/OPP)
• Ryan Swartz (R-Fr, OH)
• Michael Urdahl (R-So., MB)

Others Lost (2)
• Adam Sevier (MB)
• Cam Winter (MB)

Newcomers (3)
• Andrew Boyle (Fr., S)
• Nick Rigo (Fr., MB)
• Paya Vatanshenas (Fr., L)

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ABOUT HAWAII
Roster | Schedule | Statistics
• Overall: 2-0
• Big West: 0-0
• Home: 0-0
• Away: 2-0
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: Won 2
• AVCA national ranking: 2nd
• Big West Preseason Poll: 1st of 6

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BIG WEST STANDINGS (through 2/23)

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AVCA NATIONAL POLL
(2/22)
1. BYU
2. Hawaii
T-3. Lewis
T-3. UC Santa Barbara
5. Pepperdine
6. Long Beach State
7. UCLA
8. UC Irvine
9. Grand Canyon
10. Penn State
11. UC San Diego
12. George Mason
13. McKendree
14. NJIT
15. Loyola Chicago

Receiving votes: Ball State, Ohio State, USC

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ROCK THE VOTE
Here's a look at where UC San Diego has stood in this season's AVCA National Poll.
• 2/22: 11th
• 2/15: 9th
• 2/8: 9th
• 2/1: 9th
• 1/25: 8th
• Preseason: T-7th (UC Irvine)

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BIG RANKINGS FOR THE BIG WEST
Five of the six Big West Conference teams can be found in this week's AVCA Top 15 National Poll.
2. Hawai'i
T-3. UC Santa Barbara
6. Long Beach State
8. UC Irvine
11. UC San Diego

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OFF THE BLOCK NATIONAL MEDIA POLL
(2/16)
T-1. BYU
T-1. Hawaii
3. UC Santa Barbara
4. Lewis
5. Pepperdine
6. Long Beach State
7. Loyola
8. UC Irvine
9. UCLA
10. UC San Diego

Receiving votes: George Mason, NJIT, McKendree, Penn State, Grand Canyon

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ROCK THE VOTE II
Here's a look at where UC San Diego has stood in this season's Off the Block National Media Poll.
• Week Four: 10th
• Week Three: 10th
• Week Two: 9th
• Week One: 8th

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2021 BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL
1. Hawai'i (6 first place votes), 36 points
2. UC Santa Barbara, 28
3. Long Beach State, 23
4. UC Irvine, 19
5. CSUN, 13
6. UC San Diego, 7

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MCCAULEY NAMED A PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
In January, senior outside hitter Kyle McCauley was tabbed a 2021 Preseason All-America First Team selection by Off the Block. McCauley, who transferred to UC San Diego prior to the 2020 season, earned a slew of awards last year including AVCA All-America First Team and AVCA Newcomer of the Year accolades. He was the first Triton to ever garner those two honors. The Huntington Beach native and urban studies and planning major was also named All-Big West Conference First Team after leading the league in points and kills.

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WE'RE ALL IN!
Every member of the men's volleyball team successfully registered to vote in 2020. The feat was part of a larger goal from the Triton Voting Initiative to have all scholar-athletes registered to vote beginning with the 2020 federal, state, and local elections. The initiative was driven primarily by the Triton Athletes' Council.

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A NEW LOOK AT RIMAC ARENA
With UC San Diego Athletics beginning the transition to NCAA Division I over the summer, the Tritons unveiled a new-look for the floor at RIMAC Arena in mid-September. The court design features a sleek, modern look, paying homage to UC San Diego's proximity to the Pacific Ocean as well as proudly promoting the program's membership in the Big West Conference. At midcourt, the UC San Diego word mark and recognizable trident logo are prominently displayed. RIMAC Arena's four primary tenants – men's and women's basketball and men's and women's volleyball – all compete in the Big West. Click here for photos of the new design!

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HISTORIC CAMPAIGN
Take a look at what UC San Diego accomplished during its shortened 2020 season.
• Finished with an overall record of 14-5, the most victories since the school moved to NCAA Division II status in 2001
• Defeated seven nationally-ranked squads (No. 3 UCLA, No. 5/6 UC Irvine, No. 10 Penn State, No. 11 Loyola, No. 13 Princeton, No. 14 Concordia Irvine)
• On Feb. 15, beat UC Irvine on the road to earn first ever Big West Conference win
• Junior outside hitter Kyle McCauley was named an AVCA First Team All-American and the AVCA National Newcomer of the Year, both program firsts
• Senior setter Connor Walbrecht was named an AVCA Second Team All-American, a program first
• Broke into the national poll on Jan. 27 (No. 15), the first time the team had been ranked since 2013
• Climbed to No. 6 in the national poll, the highest the team has ever been ranked
• Between Feb. 4 and Feb. 28, reeled off six consecutive victories, tying the longest win streak in program history
• Sweep of No. 3 UCLA on Jan. 17 was first win against the Bruins since 2012
• Finished with a .280 team hitting percentage, team's best since 2010
• Led the Big West Conference in points, kills, and assists
• McCauley led all Big West Conference players in points and kills
• Walbrecht led all Big West Conference players in assists and digs 
• Walbrecht's 705 assists were the most of any NCAA DI/DII player in the country
• Junior outside hitter Wyatt Harrison led the Big West Conference in service aces

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2020 HONOR ROLL
• Wyatt Harrison: Big West Player of the Week (1/27), Off the Block National Outside Hitter of the Week (1/27), Off the Block National Offensive Player of the Night (1/17), Lindenwood Invitational All-Tournament Team (1/26), UCSDtritons.com Athlete of the Week (1/20)
• Ryan Lew: Big West Defensive Player of the Week (1/27)
• Kyle McCauley: AVCA All-America First Team, AVCA Newcomer of the Year, All-Big West First Team, UC San Diego Athlete of the Year, AVCA National Player of the Week (1/14), Two-time Big West Player of the Week (1/13, 2/17), San Diego Sports Association Star of the Month for January, UCSDtritons.com Athlete of the Week (1/13)
• Connor Walbrecht: AVCA All-America Second Team, All-Big West Conference First Team, UC San Diego Athlete of the Year, Two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Week (2/17, 2/24), Off the Block National Setter of the Week (2/24), Off the Block National Offensive Player of the Night (1/9), Lindenwood Invitational All-Tournament Team, UCSDtritons Athlete of the Week (2/24)

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TOPPING THE RANKED
UC San Diego earned seven victories over a nationally-ranked team last season.
• No. 3 UCLA (1/17)
• No. 5 UC Irvine (2/15)
• No. 6 UC Irvine (2/21)
• No. 11 Loyola (1/9)
• No. 13 Princeton (1/28)
• No. 14 Concordia Irvine (2/4)
• No. 10 Penn State (3/11)

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GETTING THE FIRST ONE
On Feb. 15, 2020, UC San Diego defeated UC Irvine, 3-2, at the Bren Events Center in Orange County. History was made as it was the Tritons' first ever Big West Conference victory. The team went 0-10 in conference matches in both 2018 and 2019. In addition, the win snapped a 19-match slide against the Anteaters. Check out the full recap and box score here.

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AN UPSET WAS BRUIN
On Jan. 17, 2020 at RIMAC Arena, UC San Diego rolled to a 3-0 victory over third-ranked UCLA. It was the first time the Tritons had defeated the Bruins since March 30, 2012. UCLA was ranked No. 3 in the nation at that time as well. The last time the Tritons swept the Bruins was on April 1, 2011 in Westwood.

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HEAD COACH KEVIN RING
Now in his 16th season heading up the UC San Diego Men's Volleyball program, Kevin Ring currently owns a 114-300 (.275) overall record at the school. With a 3-0 sweep over Lindenwood at RIMAC Arena on March 12, 2019, Ring notched his 100th win with the Tritons. Ring got his start as the Tritons' team manager from 1989-91 before playing for the team for three seasons. He was an assistant coach for nine years and was named head coach in June of 2005. He has also been extensively involved with USA Volleyball. Ring earned two degrees from UC San Diego, graduating with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 1996, followed by a master's in chemistry in 1998.

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SIGN ME UP!
Back in November, the men's volleyball program announced that three scholar-athletes signed National Letters of Intent to join the team as freshmen for the 2021-22 academic year. The Class of 2025 includes middle blocker Jim Garrison, outside hitter Matthew Lim, and outside hitter Josh Schellinger. Garrison and Lim are from Southern California, while Schellinger hails from Illinois.

"I am excited for Matthew, Josh, and Jim to join the program next fall as all three compete at a high level and will put in the time and work to make themselves and their teammates better," said UC San Diego head coach Kevin Ring. "All three are highly academic and focused, which will serve them well as a UC San Diego scholar-athlete."

JIM GARRISON
6'8" Middle Blocker
Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Mira Costa High School

High School
• Three-year Scholar-Athlete for the Mustangs
• Won 2019 Junior Varsity Bay League title
• Won back-to-back Freshman/Sophomore Bay League titles in 2017 and 2018
• Also played beach volleyball for the Mustangs and won several AAU tournaments
• Made Honor Roll all four years
• Bronze Presidential Volunteer Service Award winner
• Volunteered at an animal shelter

Club
• Played with Rockstar Volleyball (2017-20)
• Won a national championship in 2018
• National runner-up in 2017
• Three-time first place finisher at Southern California Volleyball Association Qualifiers (2017, 2018, 2019)

Garrison on UC San Diego
"UC San Diego has everything I want in a volleyball school and more."

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MATTHEW LIM
6'6" Outside Hitter
San Diego, Calif.
Torrey Pines High School

High School
• Three-year Varsity starter for the Falcons
• Team's Most Improved Player Award winner as a freshman (2017)
• A four-time Player of the Match honoree
• Ranked third in the nation by MaxPreps (2019)
• First place at La Jolla Beach Cities Invitational (2019)
• First place at Valhalla West Coast Challenge (2019)
• Three-year Varsity Beach Volleyball player
• Freshman Basketball team captain and MVP, Falcons went 27-2 (2017)
• Trained with USA Volleyball High Performance (2019, 2020)
• Has maintained straight A's through three years of high school
• An AP Scholar with Honor, will graduate with 10 AP classes

Club
• Played with WAVE (2016-20)
• A three-year team captain
• Two-time Florida Fest Qualifier winner (2019, 2020)
• Third place at Southern California Volleyball Association Boys Invitational (2020)
• WAVE Leadership Advisory Board Vice President

Lim on UC San Diego
"I chose UC San Diego because I want to be a part of the team culture. Also, UC San Diego gives me the opportunity to compete at the highest level while also providing a top-tier education."

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JOSH SCHELLINGER
6'5" Outside Hitter
Bloomingdale, Ill.
Lake Park High School

High School
• Honorable Mention All-District and All-DuKane Conference as a junior (2019)
• Lancers won a regional title in 2019
• Holds school records for aces in a season (62) and aces in a match (8)
• Highest Honor Roll accolades for all three years
• National Honor Society member
• Two-year volunteer coach at St. Isidore Catholic School (his alma mater)
• Volunteer with Feed My Starving Children

Club
• Played with Hitmen (2017-19) and Future Volleyball (2019-21)
• Team captain and MVP with Hitmen (2018)
• Team captain with Future (2020)
• His team has qualified for the Open Division at Nationals for the last four years
• Future took second at 2020 St. Louis National Qualifier
• Future was third at 2019 Chicago National Qualifier
• Future placed 19th at 2019 Nationals

Schellinger on UC San Diego
"I chose UC San Diego because of the outstanding athletics, location, the growing success of the volleyball program, and the fact that the focus of the coaching staff is both academic and athletic."

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NCAA MEN'S VOLLEYBALL LANDSCAPE
The NCAA combines Division I and Division II teams into a single national championship, while Division III squads have a stand-alone championship. There are 53 Division I and Division II teams combined, with 43 of those making up six conferences. Another 10 institutions are independent.

Big West Conference (6)
CSUN
Hawai'i
Long Beach State
UC Irvine
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara

Conference Carolinas (8)
Barton (DII)
Belmont Abbey (DII)
Emmanuel (Ga.) (DII)
Erskine (DII)
King (Tenn.) (DII)
Lees-McRae (DII)
Mount Olive (DII)
North Greenville (DII)

Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (8)
Charleston (WVa.) (DII)
George Mason
Harvard
NJIT
Penn State
Princeton
Sacred Heart
Saint Francis (Pa.)

Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (8)
Ball State
Lewis (DII)
Lindenwood (DII)
Loyola Chicago
McKendree (DII)
Ohio State
Purdue Fort Wayne
Quincy (DII)

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

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

Independent (10)
Alderson Broaddus (DII)
Daemen (DII)
Limestone (DII)
Lincoln Memorial (DII)
Puerto Rico at Bayamon (DII)
Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (DII)
Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras (DII)
Queens (NC) (DII)
St. Francis (NY)
Tusculum (DII)

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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)

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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!

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

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UP NEXT
UC San Diego hits the road for two Big West Conference matches at UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday, March 3 and Thursday, March 4. Both contests are slated for a 4 p.m. start at Robertson Gymnasium.

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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 Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 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.