The Big West announced the Preseason Coaches’ Team today and UCSB men’s volleyball’s Ryan Wilcox made the list.
The senior is heading into his fifth season on the court with the Gauchos and continues to improve each season. Last year, he ended the season with 338 kills to go along with 135 digs. The Honolulu native is on pace to hit 1,000 career kills as he currently sits at 919 heading into this season. The All-American Honorable Mention honoree is also 16 digs away from surpassing 500 career digs and 50 blocks away from securing 200 career blocks.
The conference also announced the preseason team rankings voted on by the coaches in The Big West. In this poll, the Gauchos were slated to finish fourth in The Big West. The reigning national champions of Hawai’i were slated to finish first in the conference with five of six first place votes with Long Beach State coming in second. Above the Gauchos were UC Irvine, who received one first place vote. Coming in fifth in the rankings were CSUN with UC San Diego coming in sixth.
The Gauchos’ season begins on Jan. 5 for the first day of the Asics Invitational when UCSB welcomes USC, UCLA and Lincoln Memorial to Rob Gymnasium. To see the full 2023 schedule, visit ucsbgauchos.com.
Kristen Keller is the associate athletic director for communications and digital strategy at UCSB.
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