SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team kept it rolling tonight in the Thunderdome as the Gauchos swept visiting UC Irvine. UCSB now shares the conference lead after going a perfect 2-0 on the opening weekend of Big West play.  

ON THE STAT SHEET

• The Gauchos posted 50 kills while holding the Anteaters to 26
• They also out hit them .242 to .087
• Tallulah Froley headlined notching 14 kills with a .478 attack percentage to go along with three blocks and two digs
• Abrielle Bross added 13 kills of her own giving her a total of 27 on the weekend giving her a 3.86 kills per set average in her first two Big West matches
• Mehana Ma'a led the Gauchos in assists for the first time this season with 22
• The Gauchos did an impeccable job all night putting pressure on the Anteater with their serve and forcing bad passes from UCI's back row

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Set (25-20 UCSB)

• The first set saw the Gauchos make an early separation thanks to a 5-0 run that put UCSB up 9-4, but the Eaters had other plans chipping away at the Gaucho lead until it was a one-point match at 19-18
• A huge block by Froley and Rowan Ennis then set up a 5-1 run for the Gauchos that was finished off with another block by Michelle Ohwobete and Deni Wilson
• There was no answer for Froley and Bross who notched seven and six kills, respectively, and swung a .500+ clip
• UCSB converted on 70% of its sideout opportunities

Second Set (25-17 UCSB)

• The second frame saw UCI jump out to an early lead but UCSB would end up holding the team to a match-low -.048 hitting percentage and 9-of-24 line on sideout attempts
• Once again the Gauchos found a way to hold serve going on a series of runs including a late 7-0 run that gave them a 19-15 lead that they never gave up
• A pair of Eater attack errors ended the set and gave UCSB a commanding 2-0 lead
• Macall Peed covered the entire floor collecting 12 digs in the set

Third Set (25-16 UCSB)

• The two conference foes traded blows through the early points of the final set but a 7-1 run by the Gauchos lifted the home team a 17-13 lead
• The Anteaters got as close as 18-16 before the Gauchos closed out the night on a 7-0 run capped off by a kill by Froley
• UCSB outhit UCI .364 to 0.77 and saw three aces in the set 

UP NEXT
UCSB will now take its first road trip since early September, and the first of conference play, next weekend. The Gauchos will play rival Cal Poly on Friday, October 1 before making the trip up to Cal State Bakersfield for a Saturday matinee.