MANHATTAN, Kan. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (3-8) traveled to Kansas for the final weekend of non-conference play as they started the trip against Kansas State. The Gauchos came out strong in this match as they earned their first sweep of the season, taking down the Wildcats with scores of 26-24, 25-22 and 25-23.

FROM HEAD COACH MATT JONES
"This is what we needed right now. Our team rallied after a tough stretch and some injuries to get a good win in a tough environment. Hopefully we can continue to build off of it to finish non-conference play strong."

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos came out strong, ready to play against this Big 12 team. With the help of Emma McDermott on offense, the Gauchos went up early on the Wildcats. Kansas State didn't stay back for long as they battled back to tie the set and then some. From there, neither team would let the other get ahead by more than two, resulting in this set going into extra points. By the time it was said and done, the Gauchos were the ones to close out the set, defeating the Wildcats 26-24. 

From there, the Gauchos kept up the momentum, going up by three right at the start. However, they couldn't hold the Wildcats back for long as they battled back to tie the set. From there, UC Santa Barbara and Kansas State tied one another 12 times, not letting the other get ahead. At the end, it was a block from Andi Kreiling that sealed the deal as UC Santa Barbara won the second set 25-22, going up 2-0 in the match. 

Once the third set began, neither team wanted to let up as they were both looking to put themselves in the win column. They battled back and forth with one another, again tying the score up on 17 different occasions. This time, a service error by the Wildcats and kills from Sophie Reavis and McDermott gave the Gauchos everything they needed to win this set. They ultimately came out with the 25-23 win for their first sweep of the year. 

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Eva Travis grabbed the second double-double of her career as she finished the match with 13 kills and 13 digs.
• Harper Hall had a great match for the Gauchos. She was the primary setter in the team's 6-2 offense, registering 26 assists and 18 digs.
• Emma McDermott had a strong offensive showing. She secured the most kills for the Gauchos with 16. 
• Andi Kreiling shined in her return to the Midwest. She recorded 12 kills and only two errors on 21 swings to hit at a .476 clip while also contributing a team-high four blocks.
• Angie Dentoni had a great showing in her first start this season. She ended the match with a team-high 19 digs.  

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will play one more match in Manhattan as they take on the University of Oklahoma tomorrow, Sept. 20. First serve will be at 4:30 p.m. PT with only live stats available to follow along.