VOLLEYBALL — The Tritons aren’t allowing their uninspiring
end to the season dampen all the success they achieved over the course of the
year. Despite dropping their final two games to No. 3 Cal State Northridge and
No. 14 UC Santa Barbara, the Tritons had one of their best campaigns in program
history with season sweeps of UC Irvine and University of the Pacific, a win
over UCLA and a three-game sweep of the Gauchos. UCSD also reached double-digit
wins for only the fourth time in the program’s history.
Despite these accomplishments, UCSD has still failed to make
it to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoffs. That is the next step
according to head coach Kevin Ring.
“In all the years I have been involved at UCSD, we have always
wanted to make it to playoffs,” he said. “But that has never really been a
reality. For this team though, it’s a serious goal to make it there. Even some
of the matches we’ve lost this season have been very competitive and we know we
can play with them.”
The Tritons finished 10-19 overall with a 6-16 record in the
MPSF, arguably the toughest conference in the nation. As proof of its
difficulty, the MPSF claims 10 of the top 15 teams in the country according to
the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Ring recognizes the challenges that playing such a tough
conference brings, but nevertheless loves the opportunities that come with it.
“We are at a point now with this program that we can beat
teams with just our everyday play,” he said. “Our opponent doesn’t have to play
poorly for us to win anymore.”
The two losses to the Matadors and Gauchos didn’t come as a
surprise to the team. Northridge was competing for the regular season
conference title, and it showed as the Matadors plowed through UCSD in straight
sets 30-21, 30-19 and 30-24. The Tritons had no answer for the Matador offense
and found themselves lost during serve receive without their starting libero,
junior Eric Leserman, who was out with a hairline fracture in his wrist.
“He has been a starter all year long and that made things a
little more difficult,” Ring said. “Eric is our captain and is really coming
into his own.”
UCSD didn’t fare much better against the Gauchos, a team it
beat in straight sets earlier in the season. The Tritons fell 31-33, 30-17,
31-29, 32-30, with multiple opportunities to close out games three and four but
couldn’t finish. Up 28-22 in game four, UCSB battled back to steal the game,
giving its coach of 30 years one final win.
After the final match of their regular season, Ring and the
men were admittedly disappointed with the loss but ended on a reflective note.
“The message was: what did we accomplish this year?,” Ring
said. “We defeated the defending national champs. We beat UCSB in three games
just to name a couple. The guys are excited for what is to come.”
The future looks bright for a team that will bring back all
but one player next season as well as two injured starters from the previous
year. Sophomore outside hitter Will Ehrman exited early this season due to
surgery and sophomore middle blocker Adrian Guthals went down late last season
during practice with knee problems.
Ring sees the returning players adding to the already deep
core of guys at both positions.
“Will is such a fiery competitor and
was our top middle last year until he got hurt,” he said. “We thought we’d get
back this year but that didn’t happen. He’s been practicing but hasn’t played.
[Will] is going to help us from the service line and is a guy you like to play
with.”
