SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (April 1, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Volleyball team (5-15, 1-6 Big West) was back in Rob Gymnasium against the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors for the second leg of this Big West series. UC Santa Barbara fought hard against the No. 1 team in the NCAA, but after three sets, it was Hawai'i who came out with the win (25-19, 25-21, 29-27). 

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set started in favor of Hawai'i. They came out hot, picking up where they left off last night. Even with the Gauchos tying the set up very early on, it didn't discourage the Warriors. The bad guys pushed ahead by nine points. The Gauchos made some key substitutions that helped close the gap between them and the Warriors, but not enough to come out with the win as UC Santa Barbara dropped the first set 25-19. 

Just like last night, the Gauchos came out strong to start this second set. These two teams vied for the lead, spending the first 10 points tying the game and exchanging the lead. But after that, Hawai'i took over. Even though UC Santa Barbara was able to get within one on multiple occasions, the result didn't end that way as the Rainbow Warriors took set two 25-21.

The third set told a different story for the Gauchos. They came out with a new intensity as they went point-for-point with the Warriors. As the set went on, UC Santa Barbara put themselves ahead and ran with it, maintaining a four-point lead until late in the third. With both teams out of timeouts, Hawai'i made one last effort to end the match in this set. As if repeating last night's third set, the Gauchos and Warriors went into extra points, each team pushing the other to new limits. However, like last night, Hawai'i proved to be the tougher team, coming out of the third set with a 29-27 win. 

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Ryan Wilcox led the Gauchos in kills with 12 while only making three errors which contributed to his .450 hitting percentage. Along with that, he tied for the most aces on the team with two while leading the defensive efforts with seven digs and one solo block.
• Nick Amoruso is on his fourth-straight game with double-digit kills, putting up 11.
• Jack Walmer led the offensive efforts as the team's primary setter, racking up 29 assists on the night. He also was an asset in the back row, securing five digs.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will be on the road this Friday, April 7, as they take on UC San Diego for the second match of this series. First serve will be at 7 p.m. in La Jolla with a live stream available through ESPN+ and live stats through ucsdtritons.com.