MALIBU, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (2-8) wrapped up the final day of the Asics Classic as they took on the hosts, Pepperdine University. It only took three sets to decide the winner of this match, and that was Pepperdine as UC Santa Barbara lost with scores of 21-25, 35-37 and 23-25.

FROM HEAD COACH MATT JONES
"It was unfortunate that we couldn't convert our several opportunities to win the second set. After that, you could see we were a little deflated. It's tough, but have to be resilient and find a way back in the win column."

HOW IT HAPPENED
These two teams started this match off evenly as neither one could pull ahead of the other. That was until the score was tied at 9-9. That's when the Waves went on a four-point run, giving them a slight advantage over the Gauchos. Even though they did what they could to rally, UC Santa Barbara couldn't make up for the deficit as they lost the first set 25-21.  
 
The second set started differently for the Gauchos. They started off strong, taking an early five-point lead. They kept that distance until the score was at 22-18. That's when Pepperdine started closing the gap. With their own four-point run, the Waves tied the score 24-24, taking this set into extra points. These two teams continued to butt heads, refusing to let the other win. By the time the final whistle blew, the score sat at 37-35 in favor of the Waves as UC Santa Barbara lost the second set.
 
Once the third set began, the Waves wanted to wrap up this match. They came out strong, taking an early lead over the Gauchos. Even with Andi Kreiling's four kills on five swings throughout the set, UC Santa Barbara couldn't close the gap. This resulted in the Gauchos losing the third and final set 25-23.  
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Andi Kreiling had the best performance for the Gauchos. She hit at a .500 clip, recording nine kills and only one error on 16 swings. Along with that, she led the team in blocks with three. This performance, along with how she did during the other two matches, landed her on the All-Tournament team.
• Eva Travis and Emma McDermott were the only two Gauchos to earn double-digit kills in today's match. Travis grabbed 11 to go along with eight digs while McDermott added on 10.
• Harper Hall was the primary setter in the Gauchos' 6-2 offense. She ended the match with 26 assists to go along with seven digs.
• Cortni Youngblood had a strong performance in the back row for the Gauchos. She finished the match with a career-high 16 digs.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will finish out non-conference play with a road trip to Manhattan, Kansas as they take on Kansas State and Oklahoma. Those matches will take place on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 19 and 20. More information on how to follow along with these matches will come in the next few days.