SANTA BARARA, Calif. – The No. 8 UC Santa Barbara Men's Volleyball team returns to action this week, first hosting Cal Lutheran on Tuesday before heading to Hawai'i on Friday and Saturday. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos upset No. 4 UC Irvine 3-2 for their first win over the Anteaters since 2022. With the victory, Santa Barbara moved up to No. 8 in the nation. 

Joe Wallace won The Big West Defensive Player of the Week after making 15 total digs and three per set. George Bruening amassed 20 kills and four per set. 

KNOWING THE KINGSMEN
CLU is 19-5 this season and is ranked No. 6 in Men's DIII. They are led by Brendan Hom's 3.34 kills per set and Braden Gonzales' 2.83 digs per set. 

The Gauchos visited Cal Lutheran on Feb. 5, 2026 and won 3-1. The Gauchos are 5-0 against CLU in history. 

READING THE RAINBOW WARRIORS
No. 3 Hawai'i upset No. 2 Long Beach twice last week, first taking the Beach 3-2 then 3-0. The Rainbow Warriors swept the Beach for the first time since 2015 and now threaten Long Beach's number two slot, which they have held since week one. 

Setter Tread Rosenthal has been named The Big West Setter of the Week seven times this season and Kainoa Wade was named as the AVCA National Player of the Week on Feb. 2.

FOLLOW ALONG 
Santa Barbara will host the Kingsmen in The Thunderdome on March 24 at 7:00 p.m. The Gauchos will play the Rainbow Warriors on March 27 and March 28 at 10:00 p.m. PT. 

All matches will be available to stream on ESPN+ and livestats will be available at ucsbgauchos.com.