LONG BEACH, Calif. – The No. 19 UC Santa Barbara Men's Volleyball team (7-10) will pick up Big West play this week as they get ready for a two-match series against No. 2 Long Beach State. This is the first time these two teams will play each other this season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos are hot as of late, taking down their last two opponents. First, they played Concordia Irvine on the road. After dropping the first set, UC Santa Barbara rallied back to win the next three sets as they won 3-1 over the Golden Eagles. From there, the Blue and Gold returned to Rob Gym to take on Charleston. This was an even shorter match as the Gauchos swept Charleston in three, going 2-0 on the week and putting themselves back in the AVCA Top 20.
 
BATTLING THE BEACH
Long Beach State is the second-ranked team in the NCAA right now with a 14-1 record. Their one blemish came in a four-set loss to then-No. 4 UCLA.
 
They are second in the AVCA Coaches Poll, but they are No. 1 in the country when it comes to blocking. They average 3.52 blocks per set. Leading the way for the team is Lazar Bouchkov, who is the best blocker in the NCAA with 1.54 blocks per set.
 
All three of the Beach's pin hitters have accrued at least 100 kills this season. Clarke Godbold leads the team in kills with 145 while Sotiris Siapanis is close behind with 123. The third player from the Beach with triple-digit kills is Skyler Varga, who has 100 on the season.
 
Aidan Knipe returns this season for the Beach as their primary setter. He currently has 423 assists on the year. Mason Briggs is another returner for the Beach. He leads the team in digs with 126.
 
WHEREABOUTS
The first match of this series will happen in Orange County as the Gauchos make the trip to Walter Pyramid. First serve on Friday, March 8 will be at 7 p.m. The two teams will then face off the following night, March 9, in Santa Barbara at Rob Gymnasium. First serve for this match will be at 6 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.