SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (7-12) hit the road for their first match of the week as they took on the Cal Poly Mustangs in the first leg of the Blue-Green Rivalry. It only took three sets to decide the winner of this match, and tonight, it was Cal Poly as the Gauchos lost with scores of 22-25, 21-25 and 17-25.
 
FROM HEAD COACH MATT JONES
"I would say service errors were a microcosm of the match for us. It was representative of some sloppy volleyball from start to finish on our side. We now have to bounce back on Saturday."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos came out strong in the first set, going point-for-point with the top-ranked team in The Big West. As this set went on, UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly were tied 10 times and exchanged the lead three times before someone could solidify a lead. In this set, the team that pulled ahead was Cal Poly. The Mustangs went on a four-point run late in this set to give them just enough momentum to close out this set as UC Santa Barbara dropped the first set with a score of 25-22.
 
The second set started similarly to the first as both teams battled with one another until Harper Hall went back to the service line. With numerous mistakes by the Mustangs, the Gauchos pulled ahead by four. However, this lead didn't last for long as Cal Poly showed why they are such a strong team. They fought back quickly, siding out whenever the Gauchos had the serve while going on runs while they had the ball. Despite a last-second push from the Blue and Gold, it was Cal Poly who came out of the second set with the win as UC Santa Barbara dropped this one 25-21.
 
With the match on the line, the Gauchos came out strong to start the third set. They kept the pace with Cal Poly, not letting them pull ahead as the two teams were tied at 10 apiece. This is when the Mustangs made their move. Cal Poly went on a five-point run, which shifted the momentum to the home team. Even though Sophie Reavis tried to ignite a spark with her four kills in this set, the Gauchos could not stop the Mustangs. UC Santa Barbara ultimately dropped the third and final set with a score of 25-17.  
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Sophie Reavis had the best offensive night for the Gauchos. She finished the match tied for the most kills while serving as the most efficient hitter with a .391 clip. If that wasn't enough, she also added an ace and five digs.
• Eva Travis was the other Gaucho to earn double-digit kills as she also notched 10. Along with that, she helped the defense with four digs and a block.
• Angie Dentoni was the most instrumental player on the court in the back row. She ended the night with a match-high 12 digs. 

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will be back on the court in 48 hours as they head home to The Thunderdome to take on the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine. First serve will be at 7 p.m. with a live stream available through ESPN+.