SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The Gauchos kicked off conference play with a four-set win Friday night topping UC San Diego 3-1 in their Big West opener. After falling behind in the first set, the momentum quickly flipped in favor of UCSB as the home team took the next three sets to seal the match.

ON THE STAT SHEET

• Abrielle Bross led the way notching 14 kills on the back of a .406 hitting percentage
• Deni Wilson and Tasia Farmer joined Bross in double-figures with 10 apiece
• Wilson added six total blocks and went an errorless 10-0-21 for a match best .476 hitting percentage
• Macall Peed led all players with 22 digs and had a clean slate on the reception end
• UCSB out blocked UCSD 12 to six
• The Gauchos held the Tritons to a .171 team hitting percentage
• Grace Kloss (25) and Mehana Ma'a (23) split the setting efforts and led the team in assists

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Set (25-20 UCSD)

• The Gauchos fell behind through the middle points as the Tritons managed to convert 71% of their sideout opportunities
• This was the only set that UCSD eclipsed 20 points
• UCSB never led but managed to flip the momentum in the match by finishing the set on an 8-4 run

Second Set (25-14 UCSB)

• The late first set rhythm carried over into set two for the Gauchos as UCSB jumped out to a 7-1 lead
• The Tritons never led and trailed by as many as 11
• UCSB held UCSD to a .029 hitting percentage while hitting a .353
• The Gauchos converted on 12-of-15 sideout opportunities
• A kill by Tallulah Froley ended the set and tied the match at 1-1

Third Set (25-19 UCSB)

• Set three was the closest contest of the night as it saw four ties and two lead changes
• UCSB collects four blocks compared to UCSD's one
• Despite falling behind 10-5, UCSB mounted a 20-9 run to take the lead in the match 2-1
• The Gauchos defense finds 20 digs allowing them to extend plays and hold serve
• Down at 17-16 the Gauchos won seven straight points with Peed at the service line

Fourth Set (25-18 UCSB)

• Once again, the Tritons looked good early but could not hold off the Gauchos who climbed back from a three-point deficit to take a 10-9 lead
• From there the Gauchos grew their lead pairing a 3-0 run through the middle points and a late 5-0 run to seal the match.
• Bross ended the match with her 14^th kill of the night for the final point

UP NEXT
The second match of Big West play is scheduled for tomorrow night at 6 PM when the Gauchos welcome UC Irvine to the Thunderdome.