• The Schedule
Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 3:00 PM
UC Santa Barbara (0-2) vs. Saint Xavier (1-0)
at Robertson Gymnasium in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
• Opening Week Recap
An undermanned UCSB team won the first set of each of its season-opening matches against USC, but couldn't get over the hump falling in five sets on Thursday and four on Friday. Junior opposite Haotian Xia went for a career-high 21 kills (.349) with three blocks in the opener, but with the game tied 8-8 in the decisive fifth, the Trojans scored the final seven points.
• Xia Steps Up
The 6-foot-5 Xia will be more involved this season than he has since joining the team in 2018-19. In his first two matches alone, he had a team-leading 34 kills (3.78 K/S), nearly half of his total of 69 from his freshman campaign. He also tied for third on the team in both blocks (3) and digs (11) during the opening weekend.
• Recapping an Incredible 2021 Season
A star-studded 2021 UCSB roster advanced all the way to the NCAA Tournament Semifinals as the Gauchos made their first run at a national title in 10 years. Four Gauchos were named First Team All-Conference for the first time, while a program record five became AVCA All-Americans and head coach Rick McLaughlin was named the USMC/AVCA DI-II Men's Coach of the Year for the second straight time. No. 3 Santa Barbara became the third team to win the Big West Championship, defeating No. 4 UC San Diego in four sets on Apr. 25. The Gauchos went on to earn their first tournament win since 2011 with another four-set win over No. 5 Pepperdine in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals.
• New Year, New Opportunities
Following a year in which they held top-10 national rankings in kills, assists, digs and hitting percentage, the Gauchos are back on the court with a fresh lineup that will be without four of its five 2021 AVCA All-Americans.
Outside hitter Ryan Wilcox was the only non-senior to earn All-American status last year, and the only Gaucho this year to be named to the 2022 Off the Block Preseason All-American Team. The Big West Championship MVP returns for his junior campaign after leading the Big West with 35 aces and placing top-10 in kills (2.81), digs (2.14), points (3.5) and aces per set (0.47). He was a fixture in the UCSB attack against USC, leading the team in total attempts (76) and finishing second with 30 kills (3.33 K/S).
This year's 26-man roster features six freshmen and includes seven other returners who saw playing time last year. Sophomore middle blocker Donovan Todorov excelled in the final 15 matches of his freshman season as he finished near the top of the conference charts in blocks (1.17) and hitting percentage (.456). Also included among the returners are 2019 All-Freshman middle blocker Brandon Hicks, and sophomores who combined for 27 appearances last year in libero Ryan Pecsok and outside hitter Dayne Chalmers.
• AVCA Preseason Poll
After spending most of 2021 with a top-3 national ranking, this year's Gauchos will be looking to prove themselves early as they begin the year with a No. 11 preseason ranking.
2022 NVA/AVCA Men's Division I-II Rankings
1 Hawaii (16)
2 UCLA (1)
3 Pepperdine
4 Penn State
5 Long Beach State (2)
6 Grand Canyon
7 BYU
8 Loyola-Chicago
9 Lewis
10 UC San Diego
11 Ohio State
12-T USC
12-T Stanford
14 McKendree
15 UC Irvine
( ) – First place votes
• McLaughlin Returns Following Second Straight AVCA National Coach of the Year
For the second straight year, head coach Rick McLaughlin took home both the Big West and AVCA National Coach of the Year awards. McLaughlin earned his fourth career conference coach of the year honor in a year where the Gauchos went 15-5 with thirteen of their wins coming against nationally ranked teams. They spent almost the entirety of the year ranked as the third-best team in the country and were top-four every week.
The Gaucho head coach led his team to its first ever Big West Championship, giving the program its first conference tournament title and trip to the NCAA Tournament in 10 years. The Gauchos went into their first NCAA Tournament since 2011 ranking top-10 in the country in several statistical categories, being fourth in kills per set (13.10), assists per set (12.33), and digs per set (10.37). They also rankedeighth or better in hitting percentage (.318), win-loss percentage (.789), and team attack per set (28.99).
• Spectators Not Permitted at UCSB Athletics Home Events Through January 17
In accordance with UC system-wide COVID-19 guidance and in response to the uncertainties concerning the Omicron variant, it was announced on Dec. 29 that spectators will not be permitted at home events effective through January 17.
On December 21, 2021 it was announced that UC Santa Barbara would begin the Winter quarter with remote instruction. The decision was reached in consultation with other campuses, the Office of the President, the Academic Senate, campus health officials, students, and others in the campus community, and at the recommendation of the COVID-19 Working Group.
• Going Digital
Install the new UCSB Gaucho Gameday app on your smartphone for exclusive UCSB coverage all season long. Now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
UCSB is moving to mobile ticketing beginning this season. For more information, click here.
