2023 UC Irvine Anteaters men's volleyball team

2023 UC Irvine Anteaters men's volleyball
2023 UC Irvine Anteaters men's volleyball
Conference	Big West Conference
Record	18–11 (6–4 Big West)
Head coach	David Kniffin (11th season);
Assistant coaches	Erin Johnson (5th season); Ryan Ammerman (1st season);
Home arena	Bren Events Center
	Seasons ← 2022 2024 →

The 2023 UC Irvine Anteaters men's volleyball team represented the University of California, Irvine in the 2023 NCAA Division I & II men's volleyball season. The Anteaters, led by eleventh year head coach David Kniffin, played their home games at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters competed as members of the Big West Conference and were picked to finish third in the Big West preseason poll.^[1]

2023 Big West Conference men's volleyball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 2 Hawai'i ‍†‍‡‍^y	9	–	1	.900	29	–	3	.906
No. 4 Long Beach State ‍†‍‍^y	9	–	1	.900	21	–	5	.808
No. 5 UC Irvine ‍‍‍	6	–	4	.600	18	–	11	.621
UC Santa Barbara ‍‍‍	3	–	7	.300	8	–	17	.320
UC San Diego ‍‍‍	2	–	8	.200	8	–	17	.320
CSUN ‍‍‍	1	–	9	.100	12	–	16	.429

† – Conference champion ‡ – 2023 Big West Tournament champion y- Invited to the NCAA volleyball tournament As of November 17, 2024 Rankings from AVCA

Season highlights

Joe Karlous won the National Setter of the Week award for Week 0 games.^[2]

Preseason

Coaches poll

The preseason poll was released on December 21, 2022. UC Irvine was picked to finish third in the Big West Conference standings.^[3]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Hawai'i	25 (5)
2	Long Beach State	19
3	UC Irvine	17 (1)
4	UC Santa Barbara	13
5	CSUN	10
6	UC San Diego	6

Roster

2023 UC Irvine Anteaters Roster^[4]

Defensive Specialist/Libero

1 Davis Lau - Senior
3 Cole Power - Senior
8 Gustavo Gomes - Sophomore

Middle Blockers

13 Beck Weber - Freshman
17 Connor Campbell - Junior
18 Julian Albulescu - Freshman
23 Maxim Grigoriev - Freshman

Outside Hitters

2 Akhil Tangutur - Senior
6 Cole Gillis - Junior
7 Doug Dahm - Junior
10 Conner Dahm - Sophomore
11 Francesco Sani - Junior
14 Brandon Marina - Freshman
19 Josh McCune - Freshman
20 Hilir Henno - Sophomore
30 Stefan Vartigov - Freshman

Opposite Hitters

5 William D'Arcy - Freshman

Setters

4 Patrick Vorenkamp - Senior
9 Dylan Zhai - Junior
12 Joe Karlous - Junior
15 Cade Martin - Sophomore
22 Aidan Schulten - Freshman

Schedule

TV/Internet Streaming/Radio information:

ESPN+ will carry all home and conference road games. All other road broadcasts will be carried by the schools respective streaming partner.

Date Time	Opponent	Rank	Arena City (Tournament)	Television	Score	Attendance	Record (Big West Record)
1/6 3 p.m.	vs. #14 Lewis	#8	Smith Fieldhouse Provo, UT	byutv.org	W 3–1 (26–28, 28–26, 25–22, 25–23)	249	1–0
1/7 3 p.m.	vs. McKendree	#8	Smith Fieldhouse Provo, UT	byutv.org	W 3–0 (36–34, 25–15, 25–19)	152	2–0
1/13 7 p.m.	Emmanuel	#7	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA	ESPN+	W 3–0 (25–12, 25–21, 25–11)	578	3-0
1/18 7 p.m.	# 10 USC	#7	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA	ESPN+	W 3–2 (25–22, 25–27, 23–25, 25-20, 15-11)^[5]	1,534	4-0
1/20 7 p.m.	Concordia Irvine	#7	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA	ESPN+	W 3–0 (25–21, 25–18, 25–16)^[6]	702	5-0
1/21 7 p.m.	@ Concordia Irvine	#7	CU Arena Irvine, CA	EagleEye	W 3–0 (25–17, 25–20, 25–7)	112	6-0
1/25 7 p.m.	#12 BYU	#6	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA	ESPN+	W 3–0 (25–21, 25–23, 25–15)	1,102	7-0
1/27 7 p.m.	#12 BYU	#6	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA	ESPN+	L 2-3 (24-26, 25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 9-15)	1,743	7-1
2/03 6 p.m.	@ #9 Grand Canyon	#7	GCU Arena Phoenix, AZ	ESPN+	L 1-3 (19-25, 19-25, 25-12, 22-25)	1,108	7-2
2/04 4 p.m.	@ #9 Grand Canyon	#7	GCU Arena Phoenix, AZ	ESPN+	L 2-3 (21-25, 25-21, 25-19, 27-29, 13-15)	704	7-3
2/08 7 p.m.	@ #6 Pepperdine	#7	Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, CA	WavesCast	W 3-2 (29-27, 20-25, 25-20, 27-29, 15-9)	623	8-3
2/10 7 p.m.	#6 Pepperdine	#7	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA	ESPN+	W 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17)	1,292	9-3
2/24 7 p.m.	#2 UCLA	#6	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA	ESPN+	L 1-3 (25-17, 23-25, 19-25, 16-25)	2,411	9-4
2/26 5 p.m.	@ #2 UCLA	#6	Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA	P12+ UCLA	L 1-3 (25-20, 22-25, 16-25, 25-27)	1,306	9-5
3/04 3 p.m.	@ #10 Stanford	#6	Maples Pavilion Stanford, CA	P12+ STAN	W 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-22)	793	10-5
3/05 5 p.m.	#3 Penn State	#6	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA	ESPN+	L 2-3 (34-32, 23-25, 25-18, 22-25, 11-15)	881	10-6
3/10 7 p.m.	UC San Diego*	#6	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA	ESPN+	W 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-16)	932	11-6 (1-0)
3/11 7 p.m.	@ UC San Diego*	#6	LionTree Arena La Jolla, CA	ESPN+	W 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-14)	910	12-6 (2-0)
3/16 7 p.m.	@ UC Santa Barbara*	#6	Robertson Gymnasium Santa Barbara, CA	ESPN+	W 3-2 (23-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-11, 15-11)	312	13-6 (3-0)
3/17 7 p.m.	UC Santa Barbara*	#6	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA	ESPN+	W 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-20)	790	14-6 (4-0)
3/31 7 p.m.	#15 CSUN*	#5	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA	ESPN+	W 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-19)	620	15-6 (5-0)
4/01 7 p.m.	@ #15 CSUN*	#5	Premier America Credit Union Arena Northridge, CA	ESPN+	W 3-0 (25-22, 28-26, 25-19)	186	16-6 (6-0)
4/07 9 p.m.	@ #1 Hawai'i*	#5	Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI	ESPN+	L 1-3 (16-25, 25-17, 23-25, 22-25)	7,399	16-7 (6-1)
4/08 9 p.m.	@ #1 Hawai'i *	#5	Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI	ESPN+	L 0-3 (24-26, 20-25, 19-25)	8,409	16-8 (6-2)
4/14 7 p.m.	@ #4 Long Beach State*	#5	Walter Pyramid Long Beach, CA	ESPN+	L 0-3 (18-25, 19-25, 22-25)	2,409	16-9 (6-3)
4/15 5 p.m.	#4 Long Beach State*	#5	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA	ESPN+	L 2-3 (25-22, 25-18, 20-25, 20-25, 13-15)	1,651	16-10 (6-4)
4/20 7:30 p.m.	CSUN ⁽⁶⁾	#5 ⁽³⁾	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA (Big West Quarterfinal)	ESPN+	W 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-18)	1,008	17-10
4/21 7:30 p.m.	#4 Long Beach State ⁽²⁾	#5 ⁽³⁾	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA (Big West Semifinal)	ESPN+	W 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-20)	2,543	18-10
4/22 7 p.m.	#1 Hawai'i ⁽¹⁾	#5 ⁽³⁾	Bren Events Center Irvine, CA (Big West Championship)	ESPNU	L 1-3 (18-25, 25-21, 13-25, 22-25)	4,064	18-11

*-Indicates conference match.

Times listed are Pacific Time Zone.

Announcers for televised games

Lewis: No commentary
McKendree: No commentary
Emmanuel: Rob Espero & Charlie Brande
USC: Rob Espero & Charlie Brande
Concordia: Robbie Loya & Charlie Brande
Concordia: Jeff Runyan
BYU: Rob Espero & Charlie Brande
BYU:
Grand Canyon:
Grand Canyon:
Pepperdine:
Pepperdine:
UCLA:
UCLA:
Stanford:
Penn State:
UC San Diego:
UC San Diego:
UC Santa Barbara:
UC Santa Barbara:
CSUN:
CSUN:
Hawai'i:
Hawai'i:
Long Beach Sttae:
Long Beach State:

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AVCA Coaches	8^[7]	7^[8]	7^[9]	6^[10]	7^[11]	7^[12]	6^[13]	6^[14]	6^[15]	6^[16]	6^[17]	6^[18]	5^[19]	5^[20]	5	5	5	5
Off the Block Media	Not released		7^[21]	5^[22]	6	10	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	7		7

^The Media did not release a Pre-season or Week 1 poll.

References

^ "Hawai'i picked to win 2023 Big West title in preseason poll". Off the Block. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
^ "Recipients unveiled for Off the Block National Weekly Awards". Off the Block. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
^ "Preseason Poll and First Preseason Team Released as The Big West Looks for Fifth Straight National Champion in Men's Volleyball". Big West Conference. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
^ "2023 UC Irvine Anteaters Men's Volleyball Roster". ucirvinesports.com. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
^ "UCI Men's Volleyball Outlasts USC 3-2 in Top 10 Battle". New University. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
^ "UCI Men's Volleyball Squad Wins Their Third Straight Game at Home vs Concordia, 3-0". New University. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 1 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 2 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 3 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 4 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 5 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 6 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 7 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 8 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 9 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 10 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 11 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 12 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 13 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
^ "AVCA Week 14 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
^ "Off the Block releases new college men's volleyball national media poll (Jan 17)". Off the Block. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
^ "Off the Block releases new college men's volleyball national media poll (Jan 24)". Off the Block. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[1] "Hawai'i picked to win 2023 Big West title in preseason poll". Off the Block. Retrieved December 22, 2022.

[2] "Recipients unveiled for Off the Block National Weekly Awards". Off the Block. Retrieved January 9, 2023.

[3] "Preseason Poll and First Preseason Team Released as The Big West Looks for Fifth Straight National Champion in Men's Volleyball". Big West Conference. Retrieved January 16, 2023.

[4] "2023 UC Irvine Anteaters Men's Volleyball Roster". ucirvinesports.com. Retrieved January 1, 2023.

[5] "UCI Men's Volleyball Outlasts USC 3-2 in Top 10 Battle". New University. Retrieved January 20, 2023.

[6] "UCI Men's Volleyball Squad Wins Their Third Straight Game at Home vs Concordia, 3-0". New University. Retrieved January 25, 2023.

[7] "AVCA Week 1 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved January 3, 2023.

[8] "AVCA Week 2 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved January 9, 2023.

[9] "AVCA Week 3 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved January 16, 2023.

[10] "AVCA Week 4 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved January 23, 2023.

[11] "AVCA Week 5 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved January 30, 2023.

[12] "AVCA Week 6 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved February 6, 2023.

[13] "AVCA Week 7 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved February 13, 2023.

[14] "AVCA Week 8 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved February 20, 2023.

[15] "AVCA Week 9 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved February 27, 2023.

[16] "AVCA Week 10 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved March 6, 2023.

[17] "AVCA Week 11 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved March 13, 2023.

[18] "AVCA Week 12 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved March 20, 2023.

[19] "AVCA Week 13 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved March 27, 2023.

[20] "AVCA Week 14 Rankings". AVCA. Retrieved April 3, 2023.

[21] "Off the Block releases new college men's volleyball national media poll (Jan 17)". Off the Block. Retrieved January 17, 2023.

[22] "Off the Block releases new college men's volleyball national media poll (Jan 24)". Off the Block. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]