SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Jan. 6, 2023) – The No. 7 UC Santa Barbara Men's Volleyball team (1-1) competed in the second day of their Asics Invitational as they hosted the Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters. The visiting team gave the Gauchos a run for their money as this match went to five sets with the bad guys finishing the night with the win (25-23, 25-21, 25-22, 25-17, 15-12). 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams came out strong, but it was the Railsplitters who pushed ahead. UC Santa Barbara hit at an impressive .467 clip, but Lincoln Memorial came out even strong by hitting .727. This is how they squeezed out a 25-23 victory in the first set over the Gauchos. UC Santa Barbara were not ready to back down. The Gauchos came to take the second set over the Railsplitters 25-22 to keep their hopes of winning the game alive.

Once the third set began, Lincoln Memorial were ready to fight back. Despite the Gauchos hitting more efficiently than the Railsplitters, the visiting team ended up taking the third set by three. The No. 7 Gauchos were ready to fight. They came out swinging, hitting .455 while holding Lincoln Memorial to a .103 clip to win by the biggest margin of the evening at 25-17. This gave all the fans in Rob Gym the chance for extra volleyball as these two teams went to a fifth set, with both teams going neck and neck, tying the score four times throughout. However, Lincoln Memorial came up with key plays at the end of the set to take the match from the Gauchos as the Railsplitters won 15-12.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Jack Walmer came up with his first double-double as a Gaucho, recording 50 assists while also adding on 11 digs. Not only that, but he got three kills with no errors for a .600 clip.
• The middle blockers were the most efficient hitters for the Gauchos. Donovan Todorov had 11 kills with only one error, resulting in a .714 hitting percentage after hitting 100 percent through the first two sets. He also added on four blocks throughout the game. Brandon Hicks also hit efficiently with a .533 clip with 10 kills and two errors on 15 attempts. He also helped the Gauchos on defense in the front row, registering three blocks.
• Pin hitters Ryan Wilcox and Nick Amoruso. Wilcox led the Gauchos in kills with 15 while Amoruso was close behind him with 13. Wilcox also added on points by leading the team in aces with two. 

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will compete in the final day of the Asics Invitational in Rob Gym as they take on the No. 2 UCLA Bruins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7. A live stream will be available through ESPN+ along with live stats through ucsbgauchos.com.