SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (March 10, 2023) — UC Santa Barbara Men's Volleyball (4-10) was back in Big West action Friday night, playing the first leg of their home-and-home series against No. 4 Long Beach State (10-2) at Rob Gym. The Gauchos took the first set, but the Beach took the match by a score of 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 16-25, 23-25).

HOW IT HAPPENED
UCSB came out hot, taking the first three points of what became a very close first set. The teams traded blows, with neither team able to establish more than a three-point lead in a set which included 17 different ties. At 23-23, the Gauchos scored back-to-back points, punctuating the set with a Dayne Chalmers ace.

The second set was just as close to start; both teams had 15 points before either of them held a five-point lead. That lead belonged to the Beach, as a late 4-0 run helped the visitors level the match. Long Beach State showed why they are the No. 4 team in the nation in set three, winning it by a wide margin, 25-16.

It was back to the back-and-forth in set four, as the Gauchos looked primed to send the match to its five-set maximum. UCSB won the first four points as the teams traded early scoring runs. The Beach started to pull away in the middle of the set, leading 17-12, but the Gauchos clawed back, tying the score at 21. The comeback would not be completed, however, as Long Beach took the win.

ON THE STAT SHEET
• Ryan Wilcox led the Gauchos attack yet again, posting a team-high 14 kills Friday night
• Nick Amoruso provided a spark off the bench for UCSB, hitting .417 on 12 attacks in the final two sets
• Big West digs leader Max Gordon was at it again Friday night, leading the team with eight digs; Ryan Wilcox and Dayne Chalmers tied for second on the team with four each

UP NEXT
This two-match regular season series concludes in Long Beach Saturday night, with the Gauchos and Beach going right back at each other from Walter Pyramid at 7 p.m. Live stats will be available through ucsbgauchos.com, and the match will be live on ESPN+