LA JOLLA, Calif. (April 7, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Volleyball team (5-16, 1-7 Big West) was back in action in La Jolla as they took on the UC San Diego Tritons in the second leg of this Big West series. This match did not go down without a fight from both sides as the Gauchos and Tritons took this match to five sets. By the end, it was UC San Diego who came out on top as UC Santa Barbara could not prevail in this Big West match (25-20, 25-20, 25-19, 25-14, 15-13). 

HOW IT HAPPENED
From the very first point of this match, the Tritons and the Gauchos kept it close. These two teams exchanged the lead three different times while tying the score on seven occasions while trying to decide the winner of set one. Nick Amoruso's offensive presence kept the Gauchos in this set as he led both teams in hitting percentage with a .636, registered seven kills on just 11 attempts. But even with this performance, the Gauchos lost control late in the set as UC San Diego went on a 4-1 run to top UC Santa Barbara 25-20.

The second set told a similar story to the first, but this time, it was UC Santa Barbara who took advantage. The Gauchos and the Tritons tied the score seven times again in this set before UC Santa Barbara ran away with the lead thanks to a four-point service run from Ben Coordt. UC San Diego tried to retaliate with a run of their own, but it was too late as the Gauchos won the second set 25-20.

Just like the first two sets, these teams went neck-and-neck to start off the third set. The Gauchos and Tritons continuously tied one another through the first several points. After the score hit 7-7, the Gauchos took the lead and didn't let go as they kept UC San Diego at arms' length as UC Santa Barbara hit a match-best .462. This resulted in the Gauchos' 25-19 third set win.

Even with UC Santa Barbara being up 2-1, the Tritons weren't ready to go down on their home court on Senior Night. The Tritons had their two best offensive sets in the match here in the fourth and fifth sets as their defense shut down the Gauchos. UC Santa Barbara tried their best to put up a fight against UC San Diego, but the Gauchos' efforts could not get them past the Tritons. UC San Diego took the final two sets 25-14 and 15-13. 

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Amoruso led all of the Gauchos in this game, putting up 21 kills while hitting at a .326 clip across five sets. He was also a dominant force on defense as he tallied four blocks.
• Ryan Wilcox continues to be a key performer for the Gauchos. He ended his final game in La Jolla with 17 kills while earning a team-high two aces. Along with that, he was second on the team in digs with nine while putting up two blocks.
• Jack Walmer registered a double-double against the Tritons tonight, recording 43 assists while adding on a team-high 10 digs.
• Conor Dunn has embraced his role as a middle blocker on the team. He led the Gauchos' front row defense as he contributed five total blocks, one of which was a solo block.  

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will play their final series of the regular season as they take on the CSUN Matadors in two matches on Friday, April 14, and Saturday, April 15. First serve on Friday will be in Northridge at 7 p.m. while Saturday will be at Rob Gymnasium as the Gauchos celebrate Senior Night with a 7 p.m. first serve. Both games will be streamed through ESPN+.