NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The No. 5 UC Santa Barbara men's volleyball team kept on rolling Friday night at CSUN, downing the Matadors in three sets for the second straight night, 25-20, 25-17, 25-23.

The Gauchos (14-4, 3-0) have yet to drop a set in March, winning all 12 sets they have played. They are now out to their first ever 3-0 start to Big West play and have made it two straight years with a 9-match win streak.

ON THE STAT SHEET

• For the fifth straight time, junior outside hitter Ryan Wilcox led UCSB in kills (18). He hit above .600 for the second straight match, setting a new career-high in kills per set (6.0). It was the fourth time in his four-year Gaucho career that he has averaged at least five kills per set.
• Junior opposite Haotian Xia went for 11 kills, registering first double-digit since January. He also added two aces and two blocks.
• Speaking of blocks – a category in which UCSB ranks third nationally – the Gauchos had another big night, led by middle blocker Donovan Todorov's five. Outside hitter Dayne Chalmers finished with four, while Brandon Hicks and Patrick Paragas went for two apiece.
• Chalmers also had a strong night at the service line, equaling Xia for match-high honors with two aces.

HOW IT HAPPENED

1st Set (25-20 UCSB)

• Santa Barbara trailed 14-13 in the first set, but would dominate the rest of the way. Three straight blocks involving different combinations of Gauchos started a 5-1 run, capped by a Xia ace to go up 23-18.
• Wilcox put away seven of his 18 kills in the opening game including the final point. UCSB hit at a .577 clip as a team.

2nd Set (25-17 UCSB)

• The Gauchos got out to a 4-1 lead in set two and never looked back. Back-to-back aces from Chalmers gave them an early 12-5 advantage.
• UCSB's lead grew as large as nine points. Hicks set up Paragas for a kill to make it 22-13 and the set eventually ended on a CSUN service error.

3rd Set (25-23 UCSB)

• Neither team led by more than two points in the closest set of the night. Wilcox saved his best for last, posting a massive eight-kill total (.727) to help close things out.
• His final kill put the Gauchos up 24-23 and Todorov and Xia combined for the match-sealing block on the following point.

NEXT UP
UCSB won't play again until heading south to face No. 2 Long Beach State on Friday, Mar. 25. The two teams will have a rematch the following night at Rob Gym. Both matches are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. start times.