Listen to head coach Brad Rostratter preview the season on Tritoncast!
LA JOLLA, Calif. - For the second-straight week, the UC San Diego men's volleyball team plays on the road, traveling to the Midwest to take on No. 12 Loyola-Chicago and No. 15 Lewis.
UC San Diego is 1-2 after playing in UC Santa Barbara's Asics Invitational last week. The Tritons opened their season, and Brad Rostratter's career with the team, by defeating Lincoln Memorial in five sets. They were defeated by No. 2 UCLA in straight sets and dropped a five-set decision to No. 10 USC.
Setter Gabriel Dyer was named to the all-tournament team and freshman libero Evan Boyle earned Big West Freshman of the Week for his performance in Santa Barbara.
Both Loyola-Chicago and Lewis are members of the eight-team Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA). Loyola finished second behind Ball State and Lewis was fourth in the 2022 conference standings. Other squads in the league include Lindenwood, McKendree, Ohio State, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Quincy.
Loyola comes in undefeated at 2-0 after beating Missouri S&T and King, both victories coming in three sets.
Lewis is 2-2 with wins against Missouri S&T and King and losses against UC Irvine and BYU. Both of those wins were sweeps and the losses came after five-set battles.
THE ESSENTIALS
--- Match 4: Non-Conference ---
• UC San Diego (1-2) at No. 12
Loyola-Chicago (2-0)
• Friday / January 13 / 5pm Pacific
•
Gentile Arena / Chicago, Ill. (
map)
•
Live on ESPN+ ($)
•
Live Stats
•
Twitter /
Instagram
• Series: Loyola-Chicago leads 5-2
• Last Meeting: 1/9/20 (Loyola wins 3-2 in La Jolla)
--- Match 5: Non-Conference ---
• UC San Diego (1-2) at No. 15
Lewis (2-2)
• Saturday / January 14 / 5pm Pacific
•
Neil Carey Arena / Romeoville, Ill. (
map)
•
Live Video
•
Live Stats
•
Twitter /
Instagram
• Series: Lewis leads 8-2
• Last Meeting: 1/11/20 (Lewis wins 3-0 in La Jolla)
ABOUT THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule & Results |
Statistics
• Overall: 1-2
• Big West: 0-0
• Home: 0-0
• Away: 0-0
• Neutral: 1-2
• Streak: 2 losses
• Against nationally-ranked teams: 0-2
• AVCA national ranking: Not ranked
• Big West Preseason Poll: 6th of 6
ABOUT THE LOYOLA-CHICAGO RAMBLERS
Roster |
Schedule & Results |
Statistics
• Overall: 2-0
• MIVA: 0-0
• Home: 2-0
• Away: 0-0
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: 2 wins
• Against nationally-ranked teams: 0-0
• AVCA national ranking: No. 12
• MIVA Preseason Poll: 2nd of 8
ABOUT THE LEWIS FLYERS
Roster |
Schedule & Results |
Statistics
• Overall: 2-2
• MIVA: 0-0
• Home: 2-0
• Away: 0-1
• Neutral: 0-1
• Streak: N/A
• Against nationally-ranked teams: 0-1
• AVCA national ranking: No. 15
• MIVA Preseason Poll: 4th of 8
2023 BIG WEST STANDINGS (through 1/12)
| Team |
Big West |
Overall |
| UC Irvine |
0-0 |
2-0 |
| CSUN |
0-0 |
1-2 |
| UC San Diego |
0-0 |
1-2 |
| UC Santa Barbara |
0-0 |
1-2 |
| Hawaii |
0-0 |
0-0 |
| Long Beach State |
0-0 |
0-0 |
UC SAN DIEGO ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Starters Returning (1)
•
Ryan Ka (Sr. OH)
Starters Lost (5)
•
Shane Benetz (MB)
•
Logan Clark (MB)
•
Blake Crisp (S)
•
Wyatt Harrison (OH)
•
Kyle McCauley (OH)
Primary Liberos Returning (0)
Primary Liberos Lost (1)
• Matt Palma
Others Returning (12)
• Ben Blakely (So. OPP/OH)
• Andrew Boyle (Jr. S)
• Gabriel Dyer (So. S/OPP)
• Jim Garrison (R-Fr. MB)
• Matthew Lim (So. OH)
• Berkeley Miesfeld (R-Sr. OPP)
• Brett Pursley (R-Fr. OH)
• Nick Rigo (Jr. MB)
• Josh Schellinger (R-Fr. OH)
• Peter Selcho (R-Fr. MB)
• Michael Urdahl (R-Sr. MB)
• Paya Vatanshenas (R-So. L)
Others Lost (2)
• Jason Lee (OH)
• Charlie Siragusa (OH/OPP)
Newcomers (8)
• Evan Boyle (Fr. L)
• Joshua Ewert (Fr. OH)
• Spiro Maranda (So. MB)
• Leo Pravednikov (Fr. OH)
• Michael Robertson (Fr. OPP)
• Sam Warren (So. OH)
• Zachary Weston (So. MB)
• Cameron Wurl (Fr. S)
AVCA NATIONAL POLL
(1/9/23)
1. Hawai'i
2. UCLA
3. Long Beach State
4. Penn State
5. Pepperdine
6. Ball State
7. UC Irvine
8. Stanford
9. Grand Canyon
10. UC Santa Barbara
11. USC
12. Loyola-Chicago
13. BYU
14. Ohio State
15. Lewis
Receiving votes: NJIT, Princeton, Lincoln Memorial, CSUN
ROCK THE VOTE
Here's a look at where UC San Diego has stood in this season's AVCA National Poll.
• Jan. 9: Not ranked
• Preseason: Receiving votes
BIG RANKINGS FOR THE BIG WEST
Four of the six Big West Conference teams can be found in this week's AVCA Top 15 National Poll.
1. Hawai'i
3. Long Beach State
7. UC Irvine
10. UC Santa Barbara
2023 BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL
1. Hawai'i
2. Long Beach State
3. UC Irvine
4. UC Santa Barbara
5. CSUN
6. UC San Diego
HEAD COACH BRAD ROSTRATTER
Brad Rostratter was named head coach of the UC San Diego men's volleyball program on October 7, 2022. He 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.
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
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 60 Division I and Division II teams combined, with 49 of those making up seven conferences. Another 11 institutions are independent. In 2023, the Northeast Conference (NEC) became the seventh conference to compete at the Division I/II level in men's volleyball.
The 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)
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (6)
Charleston (WV) (DII)
George Mason (DI)
Harvard (DI)
NJIT (DI)
Penn State (DI)
Princeton (DI)
Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (8)
Ball State (DI)
Lewis (DII)
Lindenwood (DII)
Loyola Chicago (DI)
McKendree (DII)
Ohio State (DI)
Purdue Fort Wayne (DI)
Quincy (DII)
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (7)
BYU (DI)
Concordia Irvine (DII)
Grand Canyon (DI)
Pepperdine (DI)
Stanford (DI)
UCLA (DI)
USC (DI)
Northeast Conference (8)
D'Youville (DII)
Daemen (DII)
Fairleigh Dickinson (DII)
Long Island University (DII)
Merrimack (DI)
Sacred Heart (DII)
Saint Francis (DII)
St. Francis Brooklyn (DII)
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (6)
Benedict (DII)
Central State (DII)
Edward Waters (DII)
Fort Valley State (DII)
Kentucky State (DII)
Morehouse (DII)
Independent (11)
Alderson Broaddus (DII)
American International (DII)
Limestone (DII)
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)
Queens (NC) (DII)
Tusculum (DII)
TRITON BOX OFFICE
Single game tickets to UC San Diego volleyball home matches are now on-sale. For more information or to purchase,
click here. Currently enrolled UC San Diego students are provided free admission by showing a valid campus ID at the arena entrance.
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+.
GAME DAY HAS A NEW LOOK
Triton fans now have a whole new way to access game day information, as game programs have gone digital! Fans can visit
UCSDTritons.com/MVBgameday from their smart phone or scan the QR code at the entrance to LionTree Arena for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch on ESPN+.
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)
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.
OUR HOME HAS A NEW NAME
UC San Diego's volleyball home has been named
LionTree Arena in recognition of a $5 million gift for scholar-athletes from LionTree, an independent investment and merchant bank with expertise in technology, media, and the digital economy. LionTree was founded by UC San Diego alumnus Aryeh B. Bourkoff, who also serves as the firm's CEO. LionTree's gift is the largest ever received by UC San Diego Athletics, establishing the LionTree Endowed Scholarship Fund to support scholar-athletes. The gift total contributed to the
Campaign for UC San Diego, which concluded on June 30, 2022. Bourkoff also served as co-chair of the Campaign for UC San Diego Cabinet.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego opens its home season on Jan. 17 by entertaining Emmanuel inside LionTree Arena. On Jan. 18, Menlo College comes to La Jolla. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. first serves and you can
PURCHASE TICKETS 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 began a new era in 2020 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 III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America accolades, while 38 have received 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 NCAA Division I and II institutions.
