Author: KEYT

Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – After having an outstanding season to this point with a 29-6 record, the fifth ranked Cal Poly beach volleyball team received an at-large berth Sunday into the NCAA Championship in Gulf Shores, Ala.

The Mustangs are the No. 6 seed and will face No. 11 seed LSU in the first round on Friday at 1 p.m. PT/3 p.m. in Gulf Shores. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. The winner will move on to play in the second round Saturday at 12 p.m. PT/2 p.m. in Gulf Shores against the winner of No. 3 seed Stanford and No. 14 seed Boise State.

The second round and semifinals will both be played on Saturday. Cal Poly’s semifinal match would take place at 12:30 p.m. PT. The championship match will take place Sunday, May 4 at 7:30 a.m. PT.

Friday and Saturday’s matches will be on ESPN2 while Sunday’s national championship match will air on ESPN.

This will be Cal Poly’s fifth trip to the NCAA Championship and the highest they’ve ever been seeded. The Mustangs previously made it in 2019, 2021, and 2022, and 2024. Last season, they made history by making it to the Semifinals for the first time in program history and finished with a No. 3 national ranking.

Cal Poly is 29-7 this season with all seven losses coming at the hands of top 11 teams. They have 13 wins over ranked teams, including over No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 LMU, No. 7 Texas, No. 7 Florida State, and No. 8 Long Beach State.

The Mustangs’ top five pairs have a combined record of 101-28. The No. 1 pair of Piper Ferch and Izzy Martinez are 27-6 this year. Earlier this week, they became the winningest pair in Cal Poly history with 57 career wins. The No. 2 pair of Izzy Martinez and Logan Walter are 29-7 and have won eight matches in a row.

The No. 3 pair of Quinn Perry and Lindsey Sparks are 11-4. The No. 4 pair of Ella Connor and Madi Nichols are 17-6, and the No. 5 pair of Abbey Reinard and Elise Lenahan are 17-5.

The 2025 NCAA Championships will consist of 16 teams, eight automatic berths and eight at-large selections. USC has won the last four national championships.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics).

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Mike Klan

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Coming down to the No. 1 court, second-seeded UC Irvine took down No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara by a score of 4-3 to win its second straight Big West Men’s Tennis Championship and third in four years, Sunday at Barnes Tennis Center. It is the Anteaters’ sixth Big West title overall.

The Anteaters (18-5) earn The Big West’s automatic qualifier into the NCAA Championship. UC Irvine’s opponent will be revealed with the NCAA Men’s Tennis Selection Show on Monday, April 28 at 2:30 p.m. PT. The Gauchos (18-4) are the 34th-ranked team in the latest ITA rankings and have a shot at making the national tournament as well.

UC Santa Barbara took the doubles point by winning on the No. 1 and No. 3 courts. Gianluca Brunkow and Lucca Liu (UCSB) defeated Andy Nguyen and Noah Zamora (UCI) 6-2 at the top flight. Diogo Morais and Charlie Underwood (UCSB) topped Max Fardanesh and Rithvik Krishna (UCI) 6-4 at the No. 3 spot.

The Gauchos went up two as Morais earned a 6-1, 6-3 decision over Ruining Huang at position No. 4. The Anteaters took three straight singles matches from there to take a 3-2 lead. Krishna took care of Dominique Rolland at No. 3 slot, 6-4, 6-3. Nguyen downed Liu 6-4, 6-3 at the battle of No. 2. Fardanesh toppled Conrad Brown 6-4, 6-4 at the No. 5 slot.

Matei Gavrea tied the team match at 3-3 with a 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory at the No. 6 spot over Sohrob Amiryavari. In the only three-set singles match of the day, Zamora bested Brunkow at the top flight in comeback fashion, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

UCSB will await its postseason fate with NCAA Tournament selections set to be announced on Monday, April 28.

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Mike Klan

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -In comeback fashion, No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara defeated No. 2 seed Cal Poly by a score of 4-2 to win the 2025 Big West Women’s Tennis Championship. It is the Gauchos’ 11th overall title, third in last five seasons and fifth in last nine.

UC Santa Barbara (16-8) earns The Big West’s automatic qualifier into the NCAA Championship. The Gauchos’ opponent will be announced with the NCAA Women’s Tennis Selection Show on Monday, April 28 at 2 p.m. PT.

The Mustangs grabbed a 1-0 lead taking two doubles matches to UC Santa Barbara’s one. Peyton Dunkle and Amy Leather (CP) downed Lucy Lu and Lily Pradkin (UCSB) 6-3 at court No. 2. At the top, Ali Benedetto and Amelia Honer (UCSB) bested Kennedy Buntrock and Romane Mosse (CP) 6-3. Natalie Lynch and Jessica MacCallum (CP) captured the point for Cal Poly with a 7-5 decision over Raphaelle Leroux and Marie Weissheim (UCSB) at position No. 3.

UCSB took three consecutive singles matches to take a 3-1 lead. Honer quickly evened the team score with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Buntrock at the top position. Leroux topped Alexandra Ozerets 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 4 slot. At the No. 2 position, Weissheim downed Dunkle in a three-set comeback 2-6, 6-2, 6-2. The Mustangs were able to get a point back as MacCallum prevailed over Emma Tutoveanu 7-5, 6-3 at the No. 5 matchup. Tyra Richardson clinched it for the Gauchos with a three-set comeback 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 over Mosse at No. 4.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics).

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Mike Klan

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Baseball team (28-14, 13-11 Big West) put eight runs on the board but could not keep up with UC San Diego (22-10, 11-10 Big West) in another slugfest, falling by a 10-8 scoreline.

HOW IT HAPPENEDThe Gauchos got momentum early, first on the defensive end after working out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first. After a single, sacrifice bunt and two walks, a strikeout and a groundout back to pitcher Reed Moring got Santa Barbara out of the tough spot. The Gauchos were fired up and channeled their energy into their bats in the top of the second, with Jonathan Mendez leading off the inning by doubling over the center fielder’s head. Rowan Kelly’s single into shallow left put runners on the corners, then he stole second. Liam Barrett’s RBI groundout plated the first run, then Corey Nunez punched a single through the right side to score a second and give Santa Barbara a 2-0 lead.

It was at this point that the game began to deviate from the Gauchos’ preferred script. Back-to-back walks started the bottom of the second, but a two-out fly ball looked like it would end the frame. It did not. The ball bounced out of a Santa Barbara glove, and with both runners running on contact, UC San Diego tied the game on what was officially scored a single. The Tritons then put up five runs in the bottom of the third, with four walks, two singles and a double in the inning.

However, the Gauchos reminded their hosts that there was plenty of baseball left to play by getting four of those runs back immediately in the top of the fourth. After Kelly worked a leadoff walk, Jack Holman cracked a double down the right field line to make it 7-3, with Holman taking third as the Triton defense threw home on the play. Barrett’s sacrifice fly to left then was enough to score Holman and make it 7-4. Santa Barabara loaded the bases with three straight walks, then Nate Vargas made it 7-5 on an RBI fielder’s choice to shortstop, hustling down the line to break up a double play. The rally continued with Cole Kosciusko’s RBI single into left, reducing the deficit to just one run.

The score stayed at 7-6 until a lead-off walk turned into another run for UC San Diego on a two-out single in the fifth, but the Gauchos got that run right back in the top of the sixth. It was Vargas again, his double to left field scoring Xavier Esquer.

A lead-off homer in the bottom of the sixth put the hosts back up by two, and that lead became three after two singles and a double, all with one out, in the eighth. Raymond Olivas put out a fire in that inning after an intentional walk loaded the bases with just one out; the freshman issued a three-pitch strikeout and got a groundout to first base to hold the Tritons to just one.

Olivas’ work meant that the Gauchos were able to get the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth, with back-to-back walks and a hit batter loading the bases with just one out. Isaac Kim’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly got Santa Barbara a run closer, but they could not close the gap further.

BY THE NUMBERSEight of the nine Gaucho starting batters had a hit on Sunday, and the lone man without one, Barrett, was quite productive anyway, tallying a pair of RBIs. With Kim pinch-hitting for him in the ninth and recording a sacrifice fly, that spot in the lineup ended up with a team-high three RBIs on the day.The Gauchos and Tritons combined to issue 21 walks, two of which were intentional by the Gauchos, on Sunday. The last time Santa Barbara was in a game with 21 or more walks was March 3, 2024, when they combined with Oregon to issue 21 free passes.Kelly continued his phenomenal first Big West campaign with a hit, a walk and a stolen base on Sunday. The true freshman is now hitting .391 in conference games this season.McCollum continued both his on-base and hit streak with a hit and a walk on Sunday. He has now reached base safely in 38 straight games and has hit in each of his last 14. Both are the longest active such streaks on the team.

UP NEXTThe Gauchos conclude their four-game stint in San Diego on Monday, April 28, with a visit to the University of San Diego’s Fowler Park, where they will take on the Toreros. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. and fans can catch all the action live on ESPN+ or by following along with live stats and an audio broadcast available through ucsbgauchos.com.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics)

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Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The Big West showdown was a letdown for Cal Poly.

UC Irvine scored 3 runs in the 9th inning to beat the Mustangs 10-8 to complete a 3-game sweep between the top two teams in league.

The Anteaters now lead Cal Poly by 4 games.

The Mustangs were once 15-1 in the Big West but they have now dropped 5 straight league games to fall to 15-6, they are 28-14 overall.

Alejandro Garza homered for the Mustangs in a 3-run fifth inning as they grabbed a 7-5 lead.

After the Anteaters tied it at 7 in the top of the 8th inning, the Mustangs went back in front on an RBI double by Ryan Fenn.

But Irvine tied at the game on a bases loaded walk in the 9th and the next batter Rowan Felsch delivered a go-ahead two-run single off of Mustangs closer Tanner Sagouspe.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – She is back on the bench.

Former San Marcos High School girls volleyball and UCSB standout Erica Menzel Downing has once again agreed to be the head coach of the Royals program.

The announcement was made on Saturday night at the Royal Pride Foundation fundraiser.

She coached San Marcos volleyball for eight years until stepping down in 2016 for family obligations.

Erica guided the Royals to several Channel League titles under her coaching leadership.

As a player Erica Menzel led the Royals to a CIF-SS volleyball title in 1999 and she went on to be a 4-year starter at UCSB. She was a two-time first-team All Big West performer.

Erica Menzel Downing is a member of both the San Marcos Athletic Hall of Fame and the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame.

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Mike Klan

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Baseball team (28-13, 13-10 Big West) cracked two more home runs Saturday afternoon, with a solo shot from Xavier Esquer proving to be the game-winning hit as the Gauchos defeated UC San Diego (21-20, 10-10 Big West), 7-6, evening their three-game series. Nate Vargas also homered, his second in as many games, to help Santa Barbara restore a game-and-a-half lead over the Tritons for fourth place in The Big West standings.

HOW IT HAPPENEDThe Gauchos were first to score on Saturday, launching an early barrage in the form of a six-run second inning. After Jack Holman worked a one-out walk, Rowan Kelly, Isaac Kim, Corey Nunez and Esquer all hit consecutive singles, with Nunez’s driving home a pair of runs and Esquer’s plating another. After a flyout, Vargas doubled Santa Barbara’s tally with a three-run home run out to right field, making it 6-0.

That six-run cushion proved necessary over the next four innings though. The Tritons got one run back in the bottom of the second with a solo home run, then four more with a grand slam in the bottom of the third. To add insult to injury, the grand slam came after the Gauchos had left the bases loaded in the top half of the inning.

Starter Calvin Proskey bounced back in the bottom of the fourth, allowing just an infield single and keeping Santa Barbara in front. However, an error with two outs and two on in the bottom of the fifth brought home the game-tying run. Esquer, the man who committed the error, came to bat in the top of the sixth and immediately redeemed himself, launching a no-doubt home run to left field to restore the Gauchos’ lead, 7-6.

Van Froling took over on the mound for the bottom of the sixth and went to work shutting down the Triton offense. He struck out a pair in the sixth, then set the side down in order in the seventh, picking up another K in the process. In the eighth, he issued his fourth strikeout of the afternoon to deal with a two-out walk. The lefty’s good work earned him the opportunity to return for the ninth, but after allowing the first man to reach, his day was done and Cole Tryba came on to close the game. The sophomore got a double play to wipe out that lead-off man on and put the Gauchos an out away from evening the series. Tryba struck out the next batter on three pitches to wrap up the result.

BY THE NUMBERSWith his home run on Saturday, Vargas joins LeTrey McCollum, Jonathan Mendez, Holman and Kim on the list of Gauchos to homer in consecutive games. This is the first time that Gauchos have joined that club on back-to-back days, with McCollum accomplishing the feat on Monday and Friday.Vargas’ three-run home run also gives him the team lead in homers this season, with eight. Thanks to it being of the three-run variety, he also takes the team lead in RBIs, with 34. Esquer is right behind him, with 33.Saturday’s victory was a crucial one in Santa Barbara’s pursuit of a spot in The Big West Championship, which only the top five teams in the standings earn. The Gauchos are currently in fourth, with 13 conference wins and seven games left to play. Last season, 17 wins was enough to make the top five, while the top four all had 20 or more.Santa Barbara’s six-run second inning was the Gauchos’ first six-run frame since March 1, when they put up six in the opening inning against Fresno State; they did that without the benefit of a home run.With an opposite-field single in the top of the fourth, McCollum extended his on-base streak to 37 games, now nine away from setting a new program-best mark.

UP NEXTSanta Barbara returns to Triton Ballpark for the rubber match in this three-game series on Sunday, April 27 at 1 p.m. Reigning Big West and NCWBA Pitcher of the Week Jackson Flora is set to start for the Gauchos, and fans can catch all the action live on ESPN+ or with the live stats and audio broadcast available through ucsbgauchos.com.

(Article courtesy UCSB Athletics).

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Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Left-handed starter Josh Volmerding (4-3) shouldered a tough 0-4 loss to UC Irvine but posted a quality start (6.0 IP, 3 ER) while tallying a single-game career-high 11 strikeouts.

Cal Poly (28-13, 15-5 BW) dropped a third game behind UC Irvine (31-9, 18-2 BW) after losing the series for the first time in four years. The Mustangs got substantial pitching support but could not make their offensive chances count, leaving nine men on base.

The Mustangs enjoyed their best chances in the second and third innings when they had two runners in each frame. Jack Collins earned a pair of walks and Cam Hoiland tallied a multi-hit game (2-for-4), but there was not much offensive production elsewhere for Cal Poly.

Josh Volmerding was on fire in the top of two, pulling off a rare three-K inning when he punched out Castagnola, Penso, and Gaz on strikes. Heading into the third, the sophomore southpaw retired another set of Anteater batters for six in a row, five being strikeouts.

After Volmerding tallied his seventh and eighth strikeouts, UC Irvine finally broke through for a trio of runs with RBIs from Penso and Gaz. He fanned McCombs in the fifth to tally his ninth K, tying his single-game career high.

Volmerding went on to shatter his career-high with another pair of punchouts in the sixth before being relieved by Tanner Sagouspe. With “Goose” adding three strikeouts through three complete innings, the Mustangs finished with their second-most K’s in a game this season.

UC Irvine added a fourth insurance run on an eighth-inning sac fly, which persisted to a 0-4 loss for the Mustangs.

Cal Poly and UC Irvine wrap up the three-game series with Ethan Marmie’s start tomorrow, slated for 1:00 p.m. at Baggett Stadium.

(Article courtesy Cal Poly Athletics).

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