SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - UC Santa Barbara defeated CSU Bakersfield in straight sets, 3-0, at The Thunderdome Saturday night. The Gauchos won with set scores of 25-18, 25-22, and 25-14.

FROM HEAD COACH MATT JONES
"Another good sweep and again our saving was really good," said Jones. "We did a better job this time around of getting them out of their system and making it tough. Overall we played a very clean match and kept ourselves in the hunt for a spot in The Championships."

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Santa Barbara and CSU Bakersfield engaged in a competitive first set, with each team exchanging points in the early stages. The set began with the 'Runners taking an initial lead, but UC Santa Barbara quickly equalized and gained a slight edge following an attack error by the Roadrunners. Bakersfield responded with a brief scoring streak, pushing their lead to 4-2. However, the Gauchos managed to level the score at various points, with significant contributions from Eva Travis and Emma McDermott. The set saw several lead changes until Santa Barbara pulled away late in the set, capitalizing on errors from the Roadrunners to secure a 25-18 victory in the first set.

The second set was closely contested. CSU Bakersfield started strong with a couple kills, but UC Santa Barbara quickly responded with kills from Andi Kreiling and Emma McDermott. A significant streak for the Blue and Gold included four consecutive points, featuring a service ace by Layanna Green and a block by Kreiling. Bakersfield managed to level the score at 22-22 with a series of kills. However, UC Santa Barbara closed out the set, securing a 25-22 victory.

In the third set, UC Santa Barbara gained an early lead with Harper Hall's service ace. UC Santa Barbara extended their lead with a string of service aces by Eva Travis, bringing the score to 12-4. Despite efforts by Bakersfield, the Gauchos maintained their advantage. The set concluded with a decisive 25-14 win for the home squad.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Eva Travis had a standout performance for UC Santa Barbara, leading the team with 20.5 points. She recorded 15 kills with a hitting percentage of .429 and contributed defensively with 11 digs and three total blocks.
• Sophie Reavis also made a significant impact with 8.5 points, recording six kills and three total blocks.
• Emma McDermott excelled with a hitting percentage of .615, accumulating eight kills
• Additionally, Grace McIntosh facilitated the offense with 19 assists, while Harper Hall also added 17 assists.

UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will continue their home stand next Friday, Nov. 15 as they host UC Irvine. First serve between the Gauchos and Anteaters will be at 7 p.m. in The Thunderdome. For those unable to attend, the match will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com