We don’t offer scholarships and we’re
only in Division II. Yet, without much fanfare the Tritons are
quietly making waves
in the world of big-time volleyball.
UCSD plays in what is unquestionably the most competitive conference
in collegiate men’s volleyball—the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Volleyball
powerhouses such as UCLA, Pepperdine, Stanford, BYU and Hawaii are all in the
MPSF. The conference has been so dominant across the country that only one team
outside it has won the national championship in the past seven years, and 11
of the conference’s 12 teams are routinely ranked in the top 15 nationally.
Given the exceptionally high level of competition, very little
has been expected of Triton head coach Ron Larsen’s squad.
But after several frustrating years of cellar-dwelling in the MPSF,
2004 proved to be a coming-out party for
the Tritons.
In the first few months, UCSD beat No. 15 USC, No. 11 Penn State—and
the icing on the cake—No. 6 Stanford.
Larsen splits playtime in the setter position between junior
Nate Jones and freshman Brooks Dierdorff. Senior opposite Jim Waller,
junior outside
hitter
Adam Toren
and sophomore outside hitter Jeff Urton lead the Triton offense in kills.
Defensively, senior middle hitter Kevin Keyser leads UCSD in blocks,
and crowd favorite
5-foot-5-inch Dickens Tai leads the team in digs (when a player prevents
the other team’s
attack attempt from hitting the ground).
Despite what most would consider handicaps, the UCSD men’s
volleyball team is getting results and turning heads. Fan support
has reflected the team’s
outstanding season, with bigger crowds packing the gym to cheer on
these rising underdogs. And although the Tritons will not make
the MPSF tournament this year,
they are having a phenomenal season. 
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