SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (8-12) returned home to The Thunderdome to take on the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine. The Gauchos had a strong showing against the Wahine as they won this match in three sets with scores of 25-18, 25-19 and 25-22.
 
FROM HEAD COACH MATT JONES
"We played really well tonight. I think the thing I am most excited about is that we have been struggling as we have been up and down in conference, but we just felt really united tonight. The volleyball was good, but I care more about how we operate as a team, and this was probably our best performance this year in that department."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos came out ready to play as they looked to rebound in Big West play. UC Santa Barbara did everything they could to stay on top of Hawai'i as they held their offense to a .108 hitting percentage. This well-rounded effort by the Gauchos led to a first set win as they took down the Wahine with a score of 25-18.
 
The second set started the same as the first as UC Santa Barbara came out hot. Not only did they stay on pace with the Wahine on offense in this set, but the Gauchos out-blocked their opponent seven to two. With this well-rounded performance from the Blue and Gold, they pushed past Hawai'i to secure a win in the second set with a score of 25-19.
 
When the third set began, the Gauchos lit up yet again. They scored the first point of the set and then battled with the Wahine until the score was tied at 16-16. That is when the Gauchos picked up the pace. With the help of Andi Kreiling and Eva Travis, the Blue and Gold went on a four-point run that pushed them ahead of Hawai'i. This was all they needed to grab their second-straight sweep over the Wahine as UC Santa Barbara pulled out this final set with a score of 25-22.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Eva Travis had a well-rounded night for the Gauchos. She earned another double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs while also adding on three blocks, two of which were solo blocks.
• Sophie Reavis and Emma McDermott were two other pin hitters who had great showings tonight. Both McDermott and Reavis finished the match with 10 kills each. To go along with that, Reavis contributed three aces while McDermott notched three blocks.
• Cortni Youngblood anchored the back row defense. She ended her night in The Thunderdome with a match-high 15 digs.
• Andi Kreiling shined in the middle. She finished the match hitting at a .400 clip with four kills and no errors on 10 swings. She also led the front row defense with a match-high four blocks. 

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will hit the road yet again as they make the trip to La Jolla to take on the UC San Diego Tritons. First serve will be at 6 p.m. in the LionTree Arena. For those who can't make it to La Jolla, they can watch the match through ESPN+.