SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Feb. 2, 2023) – After almost a month away from Rob Gymnasium, the No. 15 UC Santa Barbara Men's Volleyball team (1-7) will be back in Santa Barbara as they take on the No. 5 Pepperdine Waves.
The last time the Gauchos were on the court was in Malibu on the Waves' home court. Senior Ryan Wilcox notched his 1,000th career kill in a close first set between these two teams, even though it was the Waves who won the first 25-23. From there, the two teams battled with no difference in the winner, resulting in a three-set loss for UC Santa Barbara.
One of the biggest assets for UC Santa Barbara this season has been their backrow defense. When it comes to the NCAA rankings, the Gauchos are seventh in the NCAA in digs per set, averaging 9.1 a set. This also puts the team's libero, Max Gordon, in 19th in the NCAA in this category, averaging two a set.
First serve in Rob Gym will be at 7 p.m. with fans receiving rally poms while supplies last. A live stream will be available through ESPN+ with the option for live stats through ucsbgauchos.com.
