Kyle McCauley put down a match high 20 kills as the UC San Diego men’s volleyball team prevailed in five sets over 11th-ranked Loyola-Chicago to open its season Thursday night at RIMAC Arena.
The scores were 25-9, 20-25, 25-16, 23-25, and 16-14.
The Tritons face another top-ranked opponent in No. 6 Lewis Saturday at RIMAC Arena. The Flyers (2-1) defeated eighth-ranked UC Irvine Thursday.
First serve is at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
On Thursday, UC San Diego boasted a potent offense, while on the defensive side of the ball, the team out-blocked Loyola 13-9.
A junior outside hitter, McCauley was playing in his first career match for UC San Diego after transferring from Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.
He had six digs, two solo blocks, two service aces, and an assist. McCauley’s 24 points were the most by a Triton since Wyatt Harrison amassed 25.5 against Concordia Irvine last year.
Sophomore middle blocker Shane Benetz contributed 12 kills and five blocks, both career bests. Senior setter Connor Walbrecht quarterbacked had 49 assists and logged seven digs, four blocks, and three aces. Senior libero Ryan Lew led all players with eight digs.
– Staff reports
