IRVINE, Calif. — UC San Diego men's volleyball was up against a hot-hitting UC Irvine squad on the road Friday and lost in straight sets.
Scores from the Big West match at the Bren Events Center in Orange County were 25-17, 25-23, and 25-16.
The Tritons fell to 6-11 overall and 0-3 in Big West play, while the Anteaters improved to 11-6 and 1-0.
The two teams will meet again Saturday at LionTree Arena in La Jolla. The start time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The match saw a stark difference in offensive efficiency as UC San Diego posted a .158 (36-21-95) attack percentage and UC Irvine countered at a healthy .397 (41-10-78). It was the third-highest number put out by any Triton opponent this season.
The Anteaters held marginal advantages in several other statistical categories including kills (41-36), blocks (7-6) and digs (26-21). Each team finished with three service aces.
Individually,
Ryan Ka led UC San Diego in kills with 10.
Nick Rigo was just behind with nine and he hit .500 with only two errors in 14 attack attempts. Rigo also contributed with a match-best five blocks.
For UC Irvine, Francesco led all players with 12 kills while hitting .476 (12-2-21). Hilir Henno had nine kills and Cole Gillis totaled seven while hitting .500 (7-1-12). Connor Campbell compiled a .400 attack with five kills and a single error in 10 swings.
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QUOTABLE FROM HEAD COACH BRAD ROSTRATTER
"Tonight we weren't consistent through the entire match. We had moments where we played better volleyball, but that level of play needs to be extended over longer periods of time. The opportunity to play them again is exciting since we want to be going up against the best competition to get maximum growth from our group. We will make some tweaks and adjustments and build off some components that were effective for us tonight."Â
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TRITON TIDBITS
•
Ryan Ka has at least 10 kills in nine of his last 10 matches.
• UC San Diego's .158 hitting percentage tonight was its third-lowest of the season.
• Nine Tritons have made their collegiate debuts so far this season:
Evan Boyle, Joshua Ewert,
Jim Garrison,
Michael Robertson,
Brett Pursley,
Josh Schellinger,
Peter Selcho,
Sam Warren,
Zachary Weston.
•
Brad Rostratter, who was named UC San Diego's head coach on Oct. 7, 2022, earned his first win with the Tritons on Jan. 5 when they defeated Lincoln Memorial.
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UP NEXT
UC San Diego and UC Irvine are right back at it Saturday at LionTree Arena (7 p.m.). The first 350 students in attendance will get a free t-shirt. In addition, it will be Youth Night and all youth (6th grade and under) will get a free foam finger. The Tritons will be signing autographs following the match. Tickets (youth tickets start at just $7) for all home matches in La Jolla are available through the
Triton Box Office.
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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 in NCAA Division I. The 23-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 38 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.
