SAN DIEGO – A match-high 16 kills from Lindsey Ruddins were not enough for UCSB (8-3) against San Diego State (6-5) on Friday night, as the Gauchos fell in straight sets (25-21, 25-21, 27-25).

Playing as a true road team in the California Mixer opener, UCSB nearly pushed the match into a fourth set with a 25-24 lead in the third, but a 3-0 Aztec run sealed the sweep for SDSU.

Ruddins came through with her second-best attacking clip of the year at .371, and is now averaging 4.58 kills per set on the season.

Chanel Hoffman finished with nine kills and six digs, while Emilia Petrachi paced the match in the digs category with 14.

As for the blocking stats, Phoebe Grunt was in on five blocks, making it the third team this season she has had at least that many. Right behind the senior was her freshman counterpart Rowan Ennis who matched a career-high with three block assists.

Through the first two sets, the Gauchos were unable to break the .200 mark in their hitting percentage, but raised their offense in the third with a .263 clip. However, the Aztecs, who the Gauchos limited to a .179 kill percentage in game two, broke through offensively in the third with a .343 hitting performance.

Late in the third, San Diego State was able to take a 19-15 lead, but the Gauchos responded with a hard fought 8-4 run to tie the game at 23-23. In that stretch, Ruddins came up big with three kills, while back-to-back blocks from Phoebe Grunt and Rowan Ennis knotted the score.

While the Aztecs would claim match point one play later, the Gauchos would come back and force extras after a pair of SDSU errors. However, San Diego State would close out the match with three straight kills, two coming from their kills leader Alexandra Psoma who finished with 12.

The Gauchos will continue tournament play tomorrow when they will face San Jose State – who split two five-set decisions on Friday – at 1:30 p.m. and will later take on No. 10 San Diego at 7 p.m. Both matches will feature a video stream (SJSU, USD) and live stats (SJSU, USD).