No. 10 UC San Diego men's water polo hosts No. 12 UC Santa Barbara at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, at Canyonview Aquatic Center. The Big West Conference matchup pits two ranked teams in their final conference season before both move to the West Coast Conference in 2027.

The Tritons (12-5, 1-0 Big West) opened conference play with a 13-12 road win over No. 7 Long Beach State on Friday, Oct. 9, before falling to No. 3 USC 15-9 on Saturday, Oct. 10, according to UCSD Athletics. The Gauchos (18-9, 0-1 Big West) dropped their conference opener to California Baptist 14-12 on Saturday, Oct. 10, UCSB Athletics reported.

UCSB holds a 25-6 all-time series advantage over UCSD, the UCSD Guardian reported. The Gauchos won the most recent meeting 11-10 in 2025. Both teams saw their 2025 postseasons end in the Big West semifinals.

Friday's game is the second of five Big West contests for each team this season.

Tritons' offensive leaders

Sophomore utility Jackson Boettner and junior attacker Christian Hammonds have carried UCSD's scoring load. Boettner has 37 goals and Hammonds 38, according to the Guardian's Oct. 12 preview. Both scored in the Long Beach State win.

Through Oct. 8, Boettner ranked first in the Big West in sprint win percentage at .750, and Hammonds ranked first in steals per game at 1.4, according to UCSD Athletics. Hammonds had scored in 15 consecutive games and Boettner in 14.

Gauchos' Canepa earns third weekly honor

UCSB freshman attacker Luigi Canepa has earned Big West Player of the Week three times this season. He scored five goals and added two assists in UCSB's 13-12 overtime win at No. 9 San Jose State on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Season context

Head coach Matt Ustaszewski, a 2004 UCSD graduate and former Tritons co-captain, picked up his 80th career victory at Pomona-Pitzer on Friday, Oct. 2, according to UCSD Athletics. The Tritons' early-season résumé includes wins over then-No. 11 Pepperdine and then-No. 13 UC Irvine at the MPSF Invitational (MPSF) in September.

UCSD is 7-0 in Friday games this season. The Tritons were picked to finish tied for third in the Big West preseason coaches' poll, behind Long Beach State.

Canyonview Aquatic Center will also host the 2026 NCAA National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship later this fall. It will be the first time UCSD serves as host site as a Division I program.

The Big West Championship is scheduled for Nov. 20-22 at Long Beach State's Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center.