SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (10-12) was back in The Thunderdome as they looked to extend their win streak to three against Long Beach State. It took all five sets to decide who would win this match, and at the end, it was the Gaucho who persevered with scores of 25-22, 22-25, 12-25, 25-20 and 15-13.
 
FROM HEAD COACH MATT JONES
"I think this season has been a real roller coaster. We have been working on culture, how we train and just being more consistent while fighting together. These last three matches have felt like we might have hit a turning point. We are right back in the mix in The Big West and we just have to find a way to keep battling while peaking in the conference tournament. Stats aside, I am really proud of all 21 of our players."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first 10 points of this set were an indicator for how this match would play out. These two teams hung close with one another until the Gauchos pulled ahead with a kill from Layanna Green that made the score 11-9. The Gauchos never let Long Beach get closer than that as UC Santa Barbara took the first set 25-22.
 
The Beach wanted revenge as they started the second with a three-point lead. However, the Gauchos rallied back quickly with a five-point run thanks to Harper Hall, which gave the Gauchos a one-point advantage. Despite that, the Beach battled back quickly as they did everything they could to tie up the match. Once the score was tied at 20-20, the Beach made their move. They pulled ahead by three and didn't let it go as Long Beach State took the second set 25-22.  
 
The third set told a very different story for the Gauchos. No matter what UC Santa Barbara tried, they couldn't find an answer to this tough Long Beach team. Even though the Blue and Gold went on a six-point run to try and make a comeback, it wasn't enough as the Gauchos fell with a score of 25-12.
 
The Gauchos picked up the pace in the fourth set as they started off strong. The Blue and Gold grabbed an early lead thanks to the Beach's mistakes, giving UC Santa Barbara a five-point advantage. Even though Long Beach State tried their best to come back, it wasn't enough as the Gauchos took down the Beach with a score of 25-20.
 
Both teams put everything on the line as they pushed through this fifth set. Every time one team would get a point, the other team would side out. That was until Layanna Green got back to the service line and went on a four-point run. Even with the lead, the Beach weren't ready to back down as they battled back quickly to tie up the match at 11 apiece. This is when Eva Travis kicked it into another gear. With her two kills and errors by the Beach, UC Santa Barbara closed out this final set with a score of 15-13 as they secured the match in five sets.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Sophie Reavis had one of the best nights of her career as she grabbed her fourth double-double. She finished the night with 18 kills while adding on 13 digs.
• Eva Travis also had a strong showing for the Gauchos. By the end of the match, she racked up 16 kills to go along with nine digs and two blocks. 
• Andi Kreiling was one of the most impactful players for the Gauchos. She wrapped up the evening hitting .500 with eight kills and no errors on 16 swings. Along with that, she helped out the defense with six blocks.
• Along with Kreiling, Emma McDermott and Layanna Green were crucial to the team's defensive efforts. Both of these Gauchos earned six blocks in tonight's match.
• Harper Hall and Grace McIntosh both put up double-doubles in this match. Hall had a standout performance with 29 assists and 13 digs while McIntosh concluded the night with 19 assists and 12 digs. 

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will be back in The Thunderdome for a weeknight match as they take on Cal Poly in the second leg of the Blue-Green Rivalry. First serve will be at 7 p.m. For those who can't make it to Santa Barbara, there is a live stream available through ESPN+.