IRVINE, Calif. – The No. 16 UC Santa Barbara Men's Volleyball team (6-6) has just one match this week, away at Concordia University Irvine (4-8) on Thursday night. The Gauchos defeated CUI in the Thunderdome back on January 29, a 3-0 sweep.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos are hoping to break out of a slump after playing quality opponents and missing some key players. Last weekend against No. 11 Pepperdine, UC Santa Barbara dropped both matches 3-0.
 
LOOKING AT THE GAUCHOS
The Gauchos attack has missed opposite Geste Bianchi, who—despite playing just 21 of the team's 40 sets—leads the team in kills (112). Bianchi has basically not played the past four matches after exiting the first set of the first BYU match. Freshman George Bruening has also not played the past three matches.
 
Speaking of freshmen, they have played an important role for the Gauchos so far this year. Outside hitter Riggs Guy is second on the team with 101 kills, just shy of three per set. Ethan Saint was elevated to the starting lineup for his first collegiate action against Pepperdine, earning 13 kills on the weekend.
 
Owen Birg, listed as a pin hitter, has shined in the middle block for the majority of the year. The only Gaucho to play in all 40 sets, he leads the team in blocks (33) and is third in kills (58). In the sweep over CUI earlier this year, he had five blocks and two aces.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
CUI is no stranger to big-time opponents. Last Friday against No. 7 BYU, the Golden Eagles pushed the Cougars to five sets. The prior week, they took a set from No. 19 Lincoln Memorial and undefeated No. 2 UC Irvine.
 
The Golden Eagles have a stark statistical advantage over the Gauchos in blocks. So far, they have earned 35 solos and 135 block assists, good for 102.5 total blocks and 2.23 blocks per set. Senior middle blocker Clement Osahon Jr. leads the way with 43 blocks and an even 1 per set.
 
Last time these teams played, the Gauchos cruised in the first two sets before CUI turned it on for a competitive third—the final score was 25-13, 25-20, 29-27. The Gauchos hit .500 in the first set (14-2-24), while CUI had just 16 kills in the first two sets, hitting .077 in the second (7-5-26) and .175 for the match. Serving was key, too, as Santa Barbara had six aces compared to the Golden Eagles' zero.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
First serve on Thursday night is set for 7 p.m., contrary to the originally-scheduled time of 6 p.m. Gauchos fans can watch the match on B1G+ or follow along via live stats at ucsbgauchos.com/MVBLiveStats.