ATHERTON, Ca. – The No. 13 UC Santa Cruz men's volleyball team opened their 2026 campaign with a 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-14, 15-4) victory over NCAA Division II Menlo College on Saturday night. The two teams traded set wins early, but the Banana Slugs steamrolled the Oaks in the fourth and fifth set to secure the thrilling season opening victory. Riley Norman led the team with 18 kills on the night with eight digs while Noy Fisher added 13 kills, five block assists, three aces, and a .524 hitting percentage. The Banana Slugs are 1-0 on the young season and will host Concordia University Wisconsin on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 5:00 p.m.
 
Key Moments:

• After dropping set one 25-20, UC Santa Cruz won a tight set two 25-23, despite holding a 23-16 lead. The Oaks closed the gap with a 6-0 but kills from Kyle Ownbey and Riley Norman capped set two 25-23.
• UCSC hit at a .387 hitting percentage in the second set.
• The Slugs were dominant in set four, earning a 25-14 victory, starting things off with a 6-1 run before closing out the game with kills from Noy Fisher and David Polster.
• The fifth set was all UC Santa Cruz as the Banana Slugs opened the game on an 8-0 run. Noy Fisher put the finishing touches on the victory with his third service ace of the night to seal the 15-4 fifth set victory.
• UC Santa Cruz hit at a .583 clip in the fifth set, recording seven kills on 12 attempts without an error.