LONG BEACH, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team is set to hit the road this weekend for a pair of Big West match ups in Southern California. The Gauchos open the trip on Friday, October 3rd, when they take on Long Beach State at 7pm. They'll then continue on to San Diego for a match against the Tritons, beginning at 6pm.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos enter the weekend on a hot streak after posting back-to-back wins over Cal State Bakersfield and CSUN. Freshman Gabi Martinez led the charge with a dominant 30 kills across two matches, while veterans Layanna Green and Eva Travis kept their offensive momentum rolling, adding 8 and 10 kills, respectively, in the victory over the Roadrunners.
LOOKING AT THE GAUCHOS
The Gauchos currently top the Big West Conference, leading in both kills (54) and kills per set (13.72). UCSB has also recorded 36 blocks so far this season and comes into the weekend riding a three-game win streak with a .714 winning percentage.
Eva Travis leads the team with 204 kills on the season, while Ayva Ostovar and Cortni Youngblood anchor the defense with 19 and 23 digs on the season, respectively.
WATCHING THE BEACH
The Beach comes into the weekend off a 2-0 sweep of UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton. In their last 10 match ups with Santa Barbara, the Gauchos have won six of 10 matches. The last time these two faced one another was October 26th, 2024, where the Gauchos came out on top with a 3-2 win.
The Beach will look to lean on offensive leader Logan King, who has gathered 171 kills on the season, and Elise Agi, who follows closely with 133.
TRITONS IN MOTION
UC San Diego enters the weekend at 3-11 on the season. The Gauchos have dominated the series as of late, winning the last seven meetings, including a 3-1 victory on October 24, 2024.
Offensively, the Tritons are led by Molly McCluskey, who averages 3.49 kills per set and has totaled 185 on the season. On the defensive side, UCSD looks to Ireland McNees with nine blocks and Jasmine Saran with eight.
FOLLOW ALONG
Both matches will be available on ESPN+ and live stats.
