HONOLULU -- The UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team was swept 3-0 on Friday night by Big West rival Hawai'i at the Stan Sheriff Center, with set scores of 25-20, 26-24, 25-11.
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Ruddins led the Gauchos (3-14, 2-3) with 11 kills in the loss, but UCSB ended up being outhit .252 to .038 for the contest. On defense, junior libero Emilia Petrachi had 21 digs in three games, nearly twice as many as any other player on either side.
The Rainbow Wahine (11-5, 5-0) meanwhile were led by McKenna Granato's 18 kills, while middle Emily Maglio was a difference-maker with nine kills and a match-high 10 blocks.
The Gauchos came closest to taking a set in the middle frame, forcing the Rainbow Wahine into extra points. UCSB made their move in the latter half of the set, using a 9-1 run with a pair of blocks from freshman middle Nicole Omwanghe (six kills, three blocks overall on the night) and consecutive aces from Ruddins to go ahead 21-17.
Despite that big deficit, Hawai'i would storm back to win the set with a 5-0 run, including back-to-back double blocks to finish it off.
After three consecutive matches on the road, the Gauchos are now primed to play three of their next four at home, starting next Saturday night, Oct. 14, against Blue-Green rival Cal Poly.
