SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team returns home for an exciting weekend in The Thunderdome, hosting UC San Diego on Friday, November 7th, before facing Long Beach State on Saturday, November 8th.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos are coming off a dominant weekend, posting back-to-back sweeps over CSUN and Cal State Bakersfield to go 2-0 without dropping a single set. Santa Barbara tailed an impressive 33 total blocks across the two matches, showcasing their strength at the net.
Sophomore libero Bianca Nistor had a breakout performance, setting three new career-highs with 17 digs, 5 assists, and 2 aces over the weekend. Freshman standout Gabi Martinez continued her stellar debut season, earning Big West Freshman of the Week honors once again after averaging 6.67 points per set in the Gauchos' win over CSUN.
UC Santa Barbara remains among the conference's top statistical leaders and currently sits fourth overall in Big West standings.
SCOUTING THE TRITONS
UC San Diego enters Friday's match up following a split weekend; they fell 0-3 to UC Irvine before bouncing back with a 3-1 win over Cal State Fullerton.
The Tritons will be looking to Jasmine Saran to lead them on Friday, who posted 16 kills and a .387 hitting percentage in their victory over the Titans. They will also look to Molly McCluskey, who is leading the team's charge in total kills (214) and contributed 15 kills and 16.5 total points last weekend.
Historically, the Gauchos have dominated this series, remaining undefeated in the last eight meetings against UC San Diego. Their most recent showdown ended in a thrilling 3-2 Santa Barbara victory.
WATCHING THE BEACH
Long Beach State heads into Saturday's match up riding a three-match win streak after sweeping both Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine last weekend. The Beach currently holds a 10-2 record in conference play.
They'll look to Anabel Kotzakov this weekend, who put up 15 kills and 12 digs against Fullerton, and Madi Maxwell, who notched an impressive 62 assists across both matches.
UC Santa Barbara trails in the all-time series, 12-27, but will be eager to turn the tide and defend The Thunderdome when the time comes.
TUNE IN LIVE
First serve against UC San Diego is set for 7 p.m. this Friday, November 7th, followed by Long Beach State on Saturday, also at 7 p.m., both the Thunderdome. Fans can catch all the action live on ESPN+ or follow along with live stats available through UCSB Athletics.
