Box Score SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara men's volleyball team made it three straight wins over top-9 teams on Saturday, riding its recently discovered top form into a four-set home win over No. 9 Ohio State, 25-19, 25-15, 26-28, 25-17.
ON THE STAT SHEET
- Outside hitters Ryan Wilcox (16 kills) and Dayne Chalmers (11) were unstoppable all night, both registering hitting percentages higher than .385. Wilcox also tied a season-best with four blocks and added another dazzling ace early in the second set.
- UCSB (4-3) is now 3-0 with Chalmers in the lineup, who made his season debut last Friday in the five-set win at then-No. 4 Pepperdine.
- Sophomore middle blocker Donovan Todorov flirted with a double-double, going for nine kills (.500) and tying a season-best with nine blocks. It was the third time in four outings that he's had at least eight.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Set (25-19 UCSB)
- The Gauchos carried the momentum they built from their last two wins into this one, looking energized once again from the first serve as they scored the first three points.
- They never trailed in set one. Leading late, back-to-back blocks by Todorov and Wilcox out of a timeout gave them their largest lead of the opening game at 24-18. Wilcox ended it with his fifth kill two points later.
2nd Set (25-15 UCSB)
- Santa Barbara never needed to worry as it went for its sixth consecutive set win overall. The Gauchos pounced on the Buckeyes (4-3) from the outset, taking leads of 7-2 and 17-6.
- UCSB hit at a .556 clip as a team, compared to .074 for Ohio State. For the second straight set, the home side never trailed.
3rd Set (28-26 Ohio St.)
- The Buckeyes came back with a strong third set, taking an early 10-5 advantage. UCSB fought its way back to tie it at 22-22. The Gauchos survived three different set points before Ohio St. finally won the longest game of the night on a service ace.
4th Set (25-17 UCSB)
- The Gauchos hit over .500 for the second time in the decisive fourth set. They created separation early with a 6-2 lead, winning a couple of long rallies that ended in Chalmers kills.
- UCSB closed it on a 3-0 run, taking its largest lead of the set on Chalmers' match-sealing kill.
NEXT UP
Santa Barbara remains home next week for one contest, a rematch against Pepperdine on Friday, Feb. 4 at 7:00 p.m. at Rob Gym.
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