UC Santa Barbara is looking forward to 2018 as they try to build on a 2017 season when they went 10-16 and 5-13 in conference play. This year provides a brand new challenge though, as they join the Big West in its first season of Men’s Volleyball.
Before they even get to Big West action the schedule has an incredibly brutal stretch though, as UC Santa Barbara will have 10 matches against ranked teams in the non-conference slate. Not only that, but nine come consecutively as seven of the nine are on the road. Then they enter Big West play which has four teams ranked in the preseason poll for a total of eight more ranked matches.
The season begins on January 4 against NJIT at home at Rob Gym where it continues through the weekend for matches with Saint Francis and #8 Stanford.
They take on other former MPSF foes in #4 UCLA, #12 USC and #10 Pepperdine on the road following that as they hit the road starting January 12. The road trip doesn’t end there though, as they stay away from home to meet #13 Loyola-Chicago, #6 Lewis and 2017 National Runner-Up and third-ranked BYU twice. They’re finally back home on February 21 for a second meeting with #10 Pepperdine.
February 23 commences Big West play for the Gauchos as (RV) UC San Diego represents their opening pair of conference matches. It’s quickly interrupted again out of conference against Fort Wayne and #14 Ball State, but restarts with a pair of matches vs. other Big West opponents in #2 Long Beach State, #11 CSUN, #5 Hawaii and #7 UC Irvine.
Senior night comes against the Anteaters on April 12, just two days before the season finale at UC Irvine. Five days later it’s the start of the first Big West Men’s Volleyball Tournament with a spot in the NCAA Tournament on the line.
The full schedule in its entirety can be seen here via UC Santa Barbara.
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