UC San Diego and UC Irvine meet twice this weekend in a home-and-home Big West series, with the Tritons hosting Friday’s rivalry match before traveling to Irvine on Saturday. The teams enter the midpoint of conference play near the top of the standings: Irvine is 6-2 in the Big West, while UC San Diego is 5-3.

By the Numbers
  • UC San Diego: 9-10 overall, 5-3 in the Big West.
  • UC Irvine: 8-11 overall, 6-2 in the Big West.
  • Friday’s match is at 6 p.m. at LionTree Arena; Saturday’s is at 5 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.
  • The teams have played 13 times, with UC Irvine leading 9-4.
  • Libero Paulina Baillie has 1,003 career digs, a UC San Diego Division I program record.
Yes, But

UC Irvine holds the better conference record and has won its last two matches, while UC San Diego is coming off a split week and has lost its most recent match. The Tritons did beat CSUN, 3-1, but fell to Cal State Bakersfield by the same score.

State of Play
  • UC San Diego ranks second in the Big West in team hitting percentage (.242) and kills per set (13.32).
  • The Tritons are tied for fifth in the conference standings and are playing their first season under head coach Spencer McLachlin.
  • Both matches will stream on ESPN+, with live stats available through UCSDTritons.com.
What’s Next

After the series, UC San Diego returns home to face UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 30 and conference leader Cal Poly on Oct. 31.

Bottom Line

The weekend offers UC San Diego a chance to gain ground in the Big West against a conference rival—first at home, then on the road the next day.