La Jolla, Calif. – The Gauchos had a rough time converting swings into kills against the UCSD Tritons on Friday night at the RIMAC Arena. UC San Diego ended up sweeping the match in three sets. Game scores for the match went 25-20, 25-17-25-20.

The Tritons' victory boosts their record to 5-10 overall, 3-8 MPSF. With the loss, the Gauchos fall to the same record as their opposition of 5-10, 3-8.

At the start of the night, UCSB was neck-in-neck with the Tritons.  In the first set, the teams traded point up to 13 all. UC San Diego found some extra energy to start hammering in kills. The home team harnessed that momentum to take the final two sets. UCSB tried to stop the Tritons with seven total blocks and 22 digs, but it was to no avail.

Nonetheless, Kevin Donohue led the Gauchos, ending the night with seven kills, two digs, and a block. Dylan Davis was the only other Gaucho to reach seven kills. UCSB struggled to find its rhythm hitting, and finished the night with a mere 29 kills. Grant Goswiller led the team on defense, picking up four digs.

At the other end, the Tritons capitalized on the opportunity. Nick Iorfino nailed an impressive 12 kills and Carl Eberts came up with 11. Additionally, Fred Stahl had a remarkable night with seven kills, two service aces, three digs, and four total blocks. 

Despite the tough loss, the Gauchos need to focus on their next game, where they travel to Pepperdine on Tuesday night in their only match of the week.