IRVINE, Calif. – After a demanding five-set battle, the UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team prevailed over UC Irvine tonight to clinch a win for their penultimate regular-season match. Eva Travis sponsored the win with an outrageous 30 kills, a tally that is not only a new career-high for the outside hitter, but also the most individual kills by a Big West player this season. 

FROM HEAD COACH MATT JONES
"Really proud of how we battled and found a way tonight," Jones said. "Irvine is fighting to get in the tournament and played tough all night. It was good to see us deliver under pressure at the end of the 5th set."

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Irvine had a worrying 25-13 defeat of UC Santa Barbara in the first. They began their multiple-point lead at 14-11 and never dropped it. The Gauchos had only seven kills in the first set, a number that would explode in the second. 

In the second set, UC Santa Barbara had 19 kills – Travis forging nine of them. After a 2-2 tie in the set's infancy, the Gauchos broke away. The Gauchos had a nine point heading at 16-7, and though Irvine recovered some ground, Santa Barbara capped it 25-21. 

The Gauchos kept the kills coming in the third set, slamming 15 to win the set 25-18. UC Irvine led at 7-6, but a pair of blocks put the Gauchos in front of the Anteaters, where they would stay for the rest of the set. 

UC Irvine had a moment back to themselves during the fourth set, taking it 25-21. They led for the entire set after the third point hit the floor. This time, the Gauchos were unable to climb back from the deficit. 

The match entered five sets, and it was tight through 8-8. The Blue and Gold got a slight lead at 12-10, but the Anteaters responded with a tie at 13-13. Santa Barbara reached the first match point 14-13, but Irvine leveled it. Finally, Ayva Ostovar and Travis partnered to make two assists and kills to finish the Anteaters once and for all.

STAT RECAP
- Michelle Zhao led in digs with 13 while also putting up 18 assists
- Ayva Ostovar headlined the assists, giving 23 to make her season total 478, just 22 away from 500 in her freshman season
- Kiersten Schmitt tallied 13 kills, while Gabi Martinez nailed 11 to make double-digit kills nine matches in a row
- Jordyn Johnson hit .455 with six kills from 11 attempts
- The Gauchos reached 103 solo blocks for the season after placing five tonight. They lead the Big West in solo blocks by 46
- Bianca Nistor landed her first career kill tonight
- Travis had a previous career-high of 27 kills

NEXT UP
The Gauchos will visit Cal State Fullerton for their final match of the regular season. They face the Titans at 2:00 p.m.