SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – After falling 3-0 to UC San Diego on Friday, the UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team redeemed themselves tonight with a 3-1 win over Long Beach State. Though the Gauchos fell 3-1 to Long Beach on the road in October, they took the opportunity for a November win with determination. Their victory over the Beach places them at third in the conference, only behind Cal Poly and UC Davis.
The Beach landed the first point of the match, but that would be the only lead they would see during the first set. The Gauchos responded with a subsequent six points in a row to get a 6-1 start. Before the Beach knew it, it was 9-3, then 14-6. The Gauchos had the first done at 25-21. Here, McDermott led the match in kills with five totaled. .
The Gauchos also finished the second set 25-21. The set was tighter than the first, during which the Gauchos had a lead of up to eight points. Santa Barbara vaguely led through the second, and it wasn't until 23-19 that their win became imminent.
Long Beach had their moment in the third, getting ahead early on and maintaining their head start throughout. The Beach led for all of the third, replicating Santa Barbara's motion from the first, and took it 25-18.
The Gauchos were back to their regularly scheduled programming in the fourth, as they got ahead early, led by several points for the duration, and closed the match 25-14.
STAT RECAP
- Gabi Martinez crushed once again, landing 18 kills for the third time in four matches. She totaled 35 kills for the weekend and had five per set. She also got a double double tonight, scooping 12 digs.
- Jordyn Johnson, Emma McDermott, and Eva Travis each made nine kills
- Johnson hit a whopping .571 and led the team in blocks with seven
- Ostovar was back in her rhythm, popping 22 assists
- The Gauchos now total 273.5 blocks this season, a number that places them in the top five schools in the nation
UP NEXT
The Gauchos continue their home presence with two more matches next weekend. They'll host Cal Poly on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7:00 p.m. and Hawai'i on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7:00 p.m. for Senior Night.
