TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (0-2) was back in action today as they faced their second nationally-ranked opponent in as many matches, taking on the No. 20 Florida State Seminoles. Despite the Gauchos' efforts, they weren't able to come out with a win as they lost to the Seminoles in three sets with scores of 17-25, 29-31 and 22-25.
 
FROM HEAD COACH MATT JONES
"We left some chances on the table today in sets two and three. We have to be cleaner when it comes to executing the scouting report in crucial moments. It was nice to see our team settle in after set one in front of a rowdy crowd. This was another good learning experience for our team."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set did not go as the Gauchos would have hoped. From the very first point, the Seminoles had control. They went on a 6-1 run to start the match and ultimately grew their lead to seven before the Gauchos could find some answers. With the help of three kills from Eva Travis, UC Santa Barbara got within two of Florida State with the score at 16-18. That's when the Seminoles shut the Gauchos down yet again as the Blue and Gold dropped the first set 17-25.  
 
The Gauchos picked it up in the second set, taking the lead for the first time at 8-7. That was all of the motivation Florida State needed as the Seminoles rallied back quickly, going on a run that put UC Santa Barbara down by four. This didn't keep the Gauchos down. The Blue and Gold rallied back, closing the gap with the Seminoles and hanging tight for the remainder of the set. From there, the Gauchos and the Seminoles tied up the score 17 times while exchanging the lead eight times, creating a suspenseful set that went into extra points. Even though UC Santa Barbara had set point on six occasions, it was Florida State who came out with the win as the Gauchos lost the second set 29-31.
 
The third set picked up right where these two teams left off. Neither the Gauchos or the Seminoles could pull ahead of the other until the score was tied at 10 apiece. That's when Florida State went on a 3-0 run that pushed them slightly ahead of the Gauchos. That advantage didn't last long. UC Santa Barbara pounded back, going on a four-point run topped off by back-to-back blocks from Sophie Reavis and Lois Hansen. These two teams continued swapping points until the score was tied at 22 apiece. That's when the Seminoles got hot yet again, giving the home team the push they needed to finish out this set. This resulted in UC Santa Barbara dropping the third and final set 22-25.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Eva Travis made an impact in today's match with her first career start. She led the Gauchos in kills with 10 while only making one error on 24 swings, resulting in an impressive .375 clip. Along with that, she helped on defense with five digs and a block.
• Andi Kreiling put in work for the Gauchos today as she registered eight kills on 11 swings, only making two errors to give her a .545 hitting percentage. She also contributed heavily to the team's front row defense, adding on three blocks.
• Layanna Green had another great outing for the Gauchos. She finished today with six kills while hitting at a .308 clip. Her biggest impact came on defense as she led all players on the court with five blocks.
• Harper Hall followed up her performance from yesterday with another great outing as she earned her first career start. She ended the match with 19 assists in three sets to go along with nine digs.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will again have a quick turnaround as they take on the Bulls of South Florida tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. PT. Only live stats will be available for that match.