PROVO, Utah (Feb. 10, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Volleyball team (2-8) made their way to the mountains in Provo, Utah to take on the No. 10 BYU Cougars. After four sets of play, it was the Cougars who came out on top as the Gauchos lost 3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 25-23, 25-20). 

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos came out strong with Rees Barnett putting up two kills in as many points. With his help and the teamwork from the remainder of the team, UC Santa Barbara pushed through the rest of this set to keep the lead throughout as the Gauchos took the 25-22 win to start the match.

The Cougars wanted vengeance after the first set. They came out strong with three three-point service runs in a row, giving them a six-point lead early in the second set before BYU continued to grow their lead. However, the Gauchos battled back in this set with service runs from Ryan Wilcox and Jack Walmer, but it wasn't enough for the second set. The home team took the second set 25-19.

With the match evened out at one apiece, the Gauchos and the Cougars were on level ground, and that persisted throughout the third set. Neither team was able to get more than a one-point advantage until late in the fourth set when BYU went on a three-point service run to give them the boost they needed to push ahead of UC Santa Barbara as the Cougars took the third set 25-23.

The fourth set began as the third ended as BYU grabbed an early two-point lead. Once they took the lead, they never let it go as the Gauchos lost the fourth and final set 25-20.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Barnett earned his first start of the season and made the most of his time on the court. He finished the night with a double-double as he put up a career-high 19 kills to go along with 11 digs. He also added on an assist while tallying two blocks.
• Wilcox continued with another strong performance as he ended tonight's game with 13 kills while hitting .308. He was also able to contribute the team's second ace of the evening while notching eight digs.
• Walmer remained the team's starting setter as he secured 42 assists in this four-set match. He also helped the team on defense with five digs and two blocks. 

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will be back in Provo tomorrow night as they return to the court for another bout with the BYU Cougars. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. PST.