SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (20-2) was back in The Thunderdome for the midway point of the season as they took on the Matadors of CSUN. It only took three sets for the Gauchos to secure their 11th-straight win over the Matadors (25-15, 27-25, 25-16), now going to a 20-2 overall record and 10-0 record in Big West play.
 
FROM HEAD COACH MATT JONES
"This was the second match in a row where we had to go without Andi Kreiling and Tasia Farmer. Milan Rex played really well for us by putting up a strong block and made smart choices on offense. Sandy did a great job stepping up defensively with the block. Everyone else did what they normally do and executed well. During the second set, CSUN served really well and made it a game, but I am really proud of our team for grinding through that. Hopefully we can get healthy over the next week and see where it goes from here."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
It took a couple points for the Gauchos to gain momentum, but once they did, the Matadors couldn't hold them back. Every Gaucho went on a service run while UC Santa Barbara hit at a .343 clip compared to the Matadors hitting at a .050 clip. This type of efficiency led to the Gauchos winning the first set 25-15.
 
The Gauchos started the second set on top, securing a three-point lead early on. However, CSUN was ready to fight back. The visitors tied the match at 15's before taking the lead, going up by three. That didn't hold the Gauchos back. UC Santa Barbara and CSUN exchanged the lead multiple times, resulting in this set going into extra points. Despite the Matadors' best efforts, they could not hold off the Gauchos as the home team took the second set 27-25.
 
UC Santa Barbara didn't stop there. A nine-point service run by Briana McKnight gave her team the cushion they needed in order to take this third and final set as the Gauchos took down the Matadors 25-16 as the Gauchos secured their ninth sweep of the season.  
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Michelle Ohwobete had the best offensive night as the only Gaucho to put up double-digit kills. She contributed 14 kills while adding on seven digs and two blocks.
• Two Gauchos ended the night with double-digit digs, and they were Macall Peed and McKnight. Peed topped the team with 11 digs while McKnight notched 10 digs. To go along with all of that, McKnight led the team in aces with two.
• Both Grace McIntosh and Michelle Zhao set up the hitters tonight for the Gauchos. These two setters each contributed 14 assists on the way to the Gauchos' .298 hitting percentage.
• Middle blockers Grace Wuischpard and Sandy Thomas were crucial to the team's front row defense. Wuischpard led the team in blocks with six while Thomas was close behind with three.
• Milan Rex also hit efficiently for the Gauchos. She secured four kills on five attempts to hit at a .800 clip.   

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will hit the road this week as they take on the UC Irvine Anteaters and the Cal State Fullerton Titans. UC Santa Barbara will take on the Anteaters in the Bren Center on Friday at 6 p.m. before making their way to Fullerton on Saturday for a 4 p.m. first serve. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.