{"id":281808,"date":"2026-04-23T10:01:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T10:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/281808\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T10:01:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T10:01:20","slug":"big-west-championship-kicks-off-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/281808\/","title":{"rendered":"Big West Championship Kicks Off Thursday"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Championship Central<\/a>
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IRVINE, Calif. \u2014 The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2026 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship begins on Thursday with the first round, culminating in the championship match on Saturday night. No. 11 UC San Diego will face No. 9 UC Santa Barbara in the first match of the championship on Thursday.
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\nFirst serve of that match is set for 5:00 p.m. at the Bren Events Center on the campus of UC Irvine. Every match this week will also be available on ESPN+.
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\nThe Tritons are the fifth seed, while UC Santa Barbara is the fourth seed. The winner advances to Friday’s semifinal round, where top-seeded Hawai’i awaits.
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\nMATCH DETAILS
\nFirst Round
\n5 Seed UC San Diego vs 4 Seed UC Santa Barbara
\nThursday, April 23 | 5:00 p.m.
\nBren Events Center\u00a0| Irvine, Calif.
\nWatch<\/a>
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\nSemifinal
\nWinner vs 1 Seed Hawai’i
\nFriday, April 24 | 5:00 p.m.
\nBren Events Center | Irvine, Calif.
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\nFinal
\nSaturday, April 25 | 5:00 p.m.
\nBren Events Center | Irvine, Calif.
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\nABOUT THE TRITONS
\nRoster<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Schedule & Results<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Statistics<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\tLocation: La Jolla, Calif.
\n\tConference:\u00a0Big West<\/a>
\n\tOverall: 12-13
\n\tBig West: 3-7
\n\tHome: 8-6
\n\tAway: 4-7
\n\tNeutral: 0-0
\n\tvs Ranked: 4-11
\n\tStreak: L1
\n\tAVCA National Ranking: 11
\n\tBig West Standings: 5th <\/p>\n

ABOUT THE GAUCHOS
\nRoster<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Schedule & Results<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Statistics<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\tLocation: Santa Barbara, Calif.
\n\tConference:\u00a0Big West<\/a>
\n\tOverall: 14-11
\n\tBig West: 5-5
\n\tHome: 10-4
\n\tAway: 4-7
\n\tNeutral: 0-0
\n\tvs Ranked: 8-11
\n\tStreak: W1
\n\tBig West Standings: 4th <\/p>\n

SERIES HISTORY
\nUC Santa Barbara leads the all-time series between the two teams 56-13, including a 13-5 mark since UC San Diego joined Division I. Both teams have won five matches each since 2023, with six of those matches going to a fifth set. The Gauchos are 2-1 against the Tritons in The Big West Championship.
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\nFAMILIAR PATH FORWARD
\nThe Tritons and Gauchos met last Saturday on the final day of the regular season, with UC Santa Barbara winning in five sets. Thursday’s winner faces Hawai’i in the semifinals, who the Tritons played in the penultimate week of the regular season. UC San Diego and Hawai’i split the two regular season matches, with the Tritons the only team to beat the Rainbow Warriors in Big West play this season.
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\nSEBA SCORES
\nOutside hitter Sebastiano Sani<\/a> is 23rd nationally in points per set (4.20), 28th in kills per set (3.55), 43rd in attacks per set (7.54), 43rd in hitting percentage (.294) and 49th in aces per set (.35).
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\nDANGEROUS BEHIND THE LINE
\nThe Tritons are 15th nationally in aces per set with 1.54. Sebastiano Sani<\/a> and Josh Ewert<\/a> lead the team with 33 aces.
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\nSHARING THE ROCK
\nThe Tritons are 11th nationally in assists per set with 11.64.
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\nTOP FIVE WINS
\nThe Tritons have six wins over top-five opponents in their six seasons since joining Division I.
\n2026 – vs. No. 2 Hawai’i (3-1)
\n2025 – vs. No. 4 UC Irvine (3-1)
\n2024 – vs. No. 5 Hawai’i (3-0)
\n2022 – vs. No. 3 Hawai’i (3-2)
\n2022 – vs. No. 2 Long Beach State (3-2)
\n2021 – at No. 1 Hawai’i (3-2)
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\nFASTEST TO 50
\nThe Apr. 11 win over No. 2 Hawai’i was head coach Brad Rostratter<\/a>‘s 50th win at UC San Diego. He is the fastest coach in program history to reach that milestone, passing Kevin Ring.
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\nAMONG THE RANKS
\nThe April 20\u00a0AVCA National Collegiate Poll<\/a>\u00a0sees the Tritons remain at No. 11. UC San Diego faced fellow ranked opponents in 15 of their 25 regular season matches. Seven of those contests were at home, with eight on the road.<\/p>\n


\n\tNo. 1 UCLA (L, 0-3)
\n\tNo. 2 Hawai’i (L, 0-3; W, 3-1)
\n\tNo. 3 Long Beach State (L, 1-3; L, 1-3)
\n\tNo. 5 UC Irvine (L, 0-3; L, 2-3)
\n\tNo. 8 BYU (L, 0-3; L, 1-3)
\n\tNo. 9 UC Santa Barbara (L, 2-3; L, 2-3)
\n\tNo. 10 Loyola Chicago (L, 1-3)
\n\tNo. 15 Lewis (W, 3-2)
\n\tNo. 18 CSUN (W, 3-0; W, 3-2) <\/p>\n

BIG WEST OUTLOOK
\nThe Tritons were picked to finish in a tie for fourth in the\u00a02026 Big West Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll<\/a>. That mirrors UC San Diego’s finish at the end of the 2025 season.
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\nLong Beach State was picked to win The Big West after winning the national championship last season.<\/p>\n

All six Big West teams are ranked nationally. Hawai’i has the best national ranking, checking in at No. 2.<\/p>\n

Final Big West Standings

\n1. Hawai’i (9-1 Big West, 26-4 Overall)

\n2. Long Beach State (8-2, 22-4)

\n3. UC Irvine (5-5, 17-7)

\n4. UC Santa Barbara (5-5, 14-11)

\n5. UC San Diego (3-7, 12-13)

\n6. CSUN (0-10, 12-14)

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\n2026 WEEKLY HONORS

\nOH Josh Ewert<\/a>, UCU Athlete of the Week<\/a>\u00a0(Jan. 12)

\nMB Peter Selcho<\/a>, Big West Defensive Player of the Week<\/a>\u00a0(Mar. 2)

\nOH Sebastiano Sani<\/a>, Big West Offensive Player of the Week<\/a>\u00a0(Apr. 13)

\nS Cameron Wurl<\/a>, UCU Athlete of the Week<\/a> (Apr. 20)

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\nBIG SHOES TO FILL

\nIn 2025, UC San Diego saw opposite hitter Anthony Cherfan<\/a>, setter Bryce Dvorak<\/a> and outside hitter Josh Schellinger<\/a> earn both All-Big West and All-American honors in their final season with the Tritons.

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\nHEAD COACH BRAD ROSTRATTER

\nBrad Rostratter<\/a> enters his fourth season leading UC San Diego in 2026. He was named head coach of the men’s volleyball program on Oct. 7, 2022. Rostratter 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. Rostratter collected his first Big West victory on the road at CSUN when the Tritons swept the Matadors on March 16, 2023. 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, California, 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 Championship.

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\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tOverall
\n\t\t\tWins
\n\t\t\tLosses
\n\t\t\tPct.
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tBig West
\n\t\t\tWins
\n\t\t\tLosses
\n\t\t\tPct.
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t2026
\n\t\t\t12
\n\t\t\t13
\n\t\t\t.480
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t2026
\n\t\t\t3
\n\t\t\t7
\n\t\t\t.300
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t2025
\n\t\t\t18
\n\t\t\t12
\n\t\t\t.600
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t2025
\n\t\t\t3
\n\t\t\t7
\n\t\t\t.300
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\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t2024
\n\t\t\t12
\n\t\t\t15
\n\t\t\t.444
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\n\t\t\t2024
\n\t\t\t4
\n\t\t\t6
\n\t\t\t.400
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\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t2023
\n\t\t\t8
\n\t\t\t17
\n\t\t\t.320
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\n\t\t\t2023
\n\t\t\t2
\n\t\t\t8
\n\t\t\t.200
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\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tTotals
\n\t\t\t50
\n\t\t\t57
\n\t\t\t.467
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tTotals
\n\t\t\t12
\n\t\t\t28
\n\t\t\t.300
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\n\t <\/p>\n

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\n2026 BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
\nThe Hawaiian Islands presents the 2026 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship will be April 23-25 at the Bren Events Center on the campus of UC Irvine. All six Big West squads will participate.
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\nThe top two seeds after the regular season will earn a bye to the semifinal round of the single-elimination championship.\u00a0All-session<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0single-session<\/a>\u00a0tickets are both on sale now.
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\nUC San Diego Athletics completed a department-wide transition to NCAA Division I in 2024. All Tritons sports are eligible for conference and national postseason play.
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\nAt the 2025 edition, the fourth-seeded Tritons defeated five seed UC Santa Barbara in five sets in the quarterfinal round. The Tritons then faced top-seeded Long Beach State in the semifinals, falling in three sets.
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\nAN EXPANDED NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
\nThe 2026 season will see the bracket for the NCAA Championship expand from nine teams to 12. Seven automatic qualification spots remain, including one for The Big West. Five at-large bids will now make up the rest of the field, an increase from two in previous seasons.
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\nUC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
\nMost 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+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego volleyball, visit\u00a0UCSDTritons.com\/live<\/a>.<\/p>\n

WHY THE TRITONS?

\nThe 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.<\/p>\n

TRITON VOLLEYBALL TALK

\nAs part of UC San Diego’s transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast,\u00a0Tritoncast<\/a>. New episodes of\u00a0Tritoncast\u00a0are available on the most popular podcasting apps and on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow\u00a0Tritoncast\u00a0on X\u00a0@Tritoncast<\/a>.<\/p>\n

GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO VOLLEYBALL

\nKeep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>. The team’s handle is @ucsdmvb.<\/p>\n

FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD

\nGot some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the\u00a0Junior Triton Club<\/a>. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!<\/p>\n

GEAR

\nFor the latest Triton apparel and accessories,\u00a0click here<\/a>.

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\nAbout UC San Diego Athletics

\nAfter two decades as one of the most successful\u00a0programs in\u00a0NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as\u00a0a\u00a0member\u00a0of The Big West in\u00a0NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in\u00a0Divisions\u00a0II\u00a0and III and helped guide\u00a01,400 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.\u00a0For more information on the Tritons, visit\u00a0UCSDtritons.com<\/a>\u00a0or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media\u00a0@UCSDtritons<\/a>.

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