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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team (13-9, 9-1 Big West) dealt Hawai'i its first loss in conference play and took sole possession of first place with a 3-0 sweep over the Rainbow Wahine on Friday night at the Thunderdome. The Gauchos snapped Hawai'i's 19-game win streak in Big West games and nine-game conference road streak, and was UCSB's first win at home against the Rainbow Wahine since 1993.

ON THE STAT SHEET

• The Gauchos outhit Hawai'i by a nearly two-to-one margin, with UCSB putting up a .359 to the Rainbow Wahine's .174
• Three UCSB players recorded double-digit kills, with Rowan Ennis picking up 11 to lead the team and tie for most among all players, and both Abrielle Bross and Michelle Ohwobete with 10 apiece
• Ennis posted a .714 hitting percentage, tying for 12^th-best all-time in school history in the rally-scoring era
• Mehana Ma'a and Grace Kloss directed the show for the Gauchos, with Ma'a putting up 23 assists and Kloss racking up 19 as the hosts earned 44 assists to the visitors' 40
• Macall Peed earned over twice as many digs as any other player in the contest with 23 on the night
• It was a block party in the Thunderdome, headlined by Deni Wilson as she set a new season-high and matched her career-high with eight blocks, including two solo efforts. Bross also had four blocks on the night, with one solo
• The sweep is the Gauchos' seventh in Big West play

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Set (25-16 UCSB)

• Several early attack errors from Hawai'i played a large role in helping UCSB build up an early advantage, ultimately leading to a seven-point advantage for the hosts at 16-9
• Hawai'i pulled back three of the next four points before Tallulah Froley earned a kill and then combined with Ennis at the net to block the next point to establish an eight-point lead for the Gauchos
• The momentum stayed with UCSB as a pair of Ennis spikes and a Wilson kill combined with a Hawai'i attack error to get the blue and gold to match point, when Wilson and Ohwobete sealed the first set with a block onto the Rainbow Wahine's Amber Igiede

Set 1: UCSB 25 - 16 UH

Deni Wilson shining bright on defense to win the first set! #GoGauchos pic.twitter.com/FMrxmD5L0a

— UCSB W Volleyball (@UCSB_Volleyball) October 23, 2021

Second Set (25-16 UCSB)

• The Gauchos sprinted out to a 7-2 lead in the second set thanks to five attack errors on the Hawai'i side and a kill from each of Ohwobete and Bross, with the five-point gap widening to eight points as the set continued
• At 16-8 for UCSB, the Rainbow Wahine went on a 7-3 run to cut the lead to four
• Ennis energized the sold-out Thunderdome crowd with a crucial kill to halt the Rainbow Wahine's comeback bid as the Gauchos led 20-15
• The kill sparked a run to end the set, with UCSB scoring five of the last six points to go ahead 2-0

S2: UCSB 25 - UH 16

Taking care of business! The Gauchos take the second set! #GoGauchos pic.twitter.com/s6euSX6K3R

— UCSB W Volleyball (@UCSB_Volleyball) October 23, 2021

Third Set (25-23 UCSB)

• The third set had a back-and-forth start, with both squads matching each other for the first seven points
• A pair of Hawai'i kills and a block gave the visitors the first run of the game as they took a 10-7 lead, but the Gauchos would take five of the next six points, punctuated by a Wilson and Bross block to re-take the lead at 12-11
• UCSB would relinquish the lead on a service error and Brooke Van Sickle kill, but a Bross kill and an Ohwobete service ace, her third of three on the night, snagged the lead right back
• The Gauchos maintained the lead throughout the rest of the set despite never leading by more than three points, with Ennis putting the finishing touches on the historic victory with her 11^th kill of the game

S3: UCSB 25 - 23 UH

Rowan Ennis with the kill!

UCSB SWEEPS UH 3-0!!!!!! ������#GoGauchos #GauchosWin pic.twitter.com/qw1dqeoUeE

— UCSB W Volleyball (@UCSB_Volleyball) October 23, 2021

QUOTABLE

• "I thought we passed really well and our setters ran a great offense. They kept everybody involved and delivered speed and precision on their sets so we could be super effective. We hit .359 and we kept them to [a] .174 [mark]. Our defense was great- we had some key blocks and slowed them out at times when we got them in trouble. It was a full team win." – UCSB head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch after the win

UP NEXT

• The Gauchos hit the road for back-to-back matchups at UC Irvine on Friday night and at UC San Diego on Saturday. Both games are set to begin at 7:00 p.m. Both games will be streamed and live stats will be available. For more information, visit UCSBGauchos.com later in the week.