AMES, Iowa (Sept. 16, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (10-2) wrapped up the Cyclone Invitational today as the Gauchos took on the Ohio University Bobcats. It took four sets to come up with a winner, and that winner was UC Santa Barbara (25-22, 25-21, 25-13, 25-19). The Cyclone Invitational rounded out the non-conference schedule for the Gauchos as they finished this first stretch of matches with a 10-2 record.
 
FROM HEAD COACH MATT JONES
"I thought, for the most part, that we did a pretty decent job of slowing down their biggest weapon. In the second set, we just missed some serves in their rotations where we felt we could score points, so we let them off the hook. Besides that, it was a clean match on our team. We battled back well after the setback yesterday."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
At the start of the first set, the Gauchos took control despite Ohio scoring the very first point. On the backs of the Gauchos' two outside hitters, Santa Barbara grew the lead to seven in the middle of the set, looking more comfortable as the set progressed. However, the Bobcats made one final push to try and make a comeback, but the Gauchos weren't having it. UC Santa Barbara won the first set 25-22.
 
When this next set got started, the Gauchos started on top. Santa Barbara took a three-point lead right off the bat. However, Ohio went on a five-point service run that put them ahead. The Gauchos fought back to be within one, but it didn't last for long. The Bobcats went on another service run at the end of the set, resulting in a 25-21 loss for Santa Barbara.
 
The Gauchos kicked it into a new gear after that, going on a 6-0 run at the very start thanks to three service aces and a kill from Briana McKnight. Shortly after that, Macall Peed went on her own five-point run to go up by 11-3 on Ohio. Even though Ohio grouped some points together at the end, it wasn't enough to make a comeback. The Gauchos won the third set 25-13 to go up 2-1 on the match while holding the Bobcats to a .000 hitting percentage.
 
The fourth set started just like the first as these two teams exchanged serve for the first six points. That was short lived as the Gauchos secured the lead off Andi Kreiling's serve. Even with Ohio's attempts to stay within reach, Santa Barbara would not have any of it. This gave the Gauchos the fourth and final set 25-19 for their 10th win of the season.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• McKnight had an amazing match on both offense and defense. She put up 17 kills and four aces to get points for her team while adding on 12 digs and six blocks on defense.
• Michelle Ohwobete continued with her success this weekend, hitting above .300 yet again. She ended this match against the Bobcats with a .333 hitting percentage, totaling 13 kills on 30 swings with only three errors. She also added on nine digs, two blocks and an ace for a well-rounded performance.
• Peed did what she normally does in the back row as the team's libero. She finished today's match with a team-high 23 digs to go along with three aces.
• Grace McIntosh was the primary setter in the Gauchos' 6-2 offense, contributing 22 assists. Along with that, she contributed an ace and five digs.
• Grace Wuischpard was a huge part of the team's defensive efforts as she earned nine blocks in this match. Along with that, she hit .750 with three kills on four swings.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will kick off Big West play as they hit the road to take on UC San Diego in La Jolla. First serve will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22 with a live stream through ESPN+ and live stats through StatBroadcast.