SANTA BARBARA. Calif. – For the second straight night, the No. 5 UC Santa Barbara men's volleyball team came away with a home sweep, dominating Long Island on Saturday at Rob Gym, 25-13, 25-22, 25-13.

The Gauchos (12-4) have now won seven straight matches and 11 of their last 12. This marks the fourth straight season that they have had a .750 winning percentage or better through their first 16 outings.

ON THE STAT SHEET

• It was another night at the office for junior outside hitter Ryan Wilcox, who posted 12 kills (4.0 K/set) for the second straight night. He hit at a .526 clip – his second-highest of the year – while adding three blocks and three digs.
• Sophomore middle blocker Donovan Todorov was nearly perfect on offense, going 5-for-6 (.833) on his unstoppable attacks at the net while leaving no chance for the LIU defense to react. He also had three blocks, bringing his conference-leading total to 65 for the season.
• Finishing second on the team in kills was junior middle blocker Brandon Hicks, who put away six (.556) with four block assists and an ace.
• Setter Patrick Paragas flirted with a double-double with 26 assists and eight digs. The sophomore's all-around game saw him add two gorgeous aces and three blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

1st Set (25-13 UCSB)

• After a 7-6 start to the match, UCSB turned it on with kills from Todorov and Wilcox starting a 4-0 run.
• A 5-0 spurt later in the set included three blocks and an ace by Dayne Chalmers, giving the Gauchos their first double-digit lead 20-10.
• Paragas put away both of his aces in quick succession, setting up game point before UCSB took it 25-13 on a Shark service error.
• The Gauchos enjoyed their best hitting set (.438) as a team while holding LIU to -.050.

2nd Set (25-22 UCSB)

• It was a sluggish start for the home side in set two, as Santa Barbara looked lackadaisical while falling behind 9-4.
• Coming out of a timeout, the Gauchos scored seven of the next eight points. The Sharks wouldn't let up though, fighting back to take a 17-15 lead on their only ace of the night.
• There were three ties down the stretch, but UCSB finally pulled away with a 3-0 run capped by a Todorov kill before the set ended once again on an LIU service error.

3rd Set (25-13 UCSB)

• The Gauchos cleaned things up in set three, taking another win by 12 points as the defense held the Sharks to a nightly low -.125 hitting percentage.
• Wilcox (3 kills) led the way for the third straight game and freshman opposite Geste Bianchi came off the bench for two kills and an ace.
• The night would come to an end on a casual block at the net by sophomore setter Conor Dunn and Todorov.

NEXT UP
Next Thursday, Mar. 10, UCSB closes its home stand and gets back to Big West competition hosting CSUN at 7:00 p.m. The Gauchos travel to face the Matadors in Northridge the following night at 7:00 p.m.

SCHEDULE CHANGE
UCSB's series against Long Beach State has changed dates. The Gauchos will now travel to face the Beach on Friday, Mar. 25 and will host LBSU on Saturday, Mar. 26.

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