SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The No. 16 UC Santa Barbara Men's Volleyball team (8-8) hosted No. 2 UCLA (10-3) on Friday night for at least the 143rd meeting between the programs—likely the most-played matchup in NCAA history.
Riggs Guy's 25 kills were the most from any Gaucho in a match this season, but the Gauchos fell in four sets—25-17, 22-25, 25-20, 25-18. The Bruins hit a blistering .535 on the night.
The Thunderdome housed over 1,000 fans for a men's volleyball match for the first time since
April 7, 2017. That night, the program celebrated Senior Night and legendary head coach Ken Preston's induction into the UC Santa Barbara Athletics Hall of Fame.
FROM HEAD COACH RICK MCLAUGHLIN
"Great to see the Gaucho crowd come out to the T-Dome tonight to support us," McLaughlin said. "Our guys fought, but we still couldn't make the key serves and plays at the crucial times, while UCLA did—but, we are improving. We look forward to starting league play next week and possibly getting a few guys back in practice."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos were without
Geste Bianchi,
George Bruening, and other contributing players, so beating the back-to-back defending national champion Bruins was always going to be a challenge. After a solid opening sequence of volleyball from both teams, service errors started to accrue. From 6-6 to 19-13 Bruins, the teams combined for 12 service errors in 20 points. Six of the Gauchos' seven points during that span came from UCLA service errors. However, as mentioned, UCLA built a substantial lead thanks to a .500 hitting percentage in the first set that foreshadowed the rest of the match. Winning five of the final six points, the Bruins took the opener, 25-17.
Set two followed a similar path as Wednesday night's second set, which the Gauchos won. Winning the first three points,
Riggs Guy earned the first two on kills before combining with
Owen Birg on a block. Steadily, Santa Barbara held that lead—between one and three points—throughout the majority of the set. The Thunderdome crowd really came alive after a triple block from
Jack Walmer, Guy, and Birg made it 18-15 Santa Barbara. Later, at 21-19, back-to-back kills from UCLA erased Santa Barbara's lead for the first time all set. The Gauchos did not hang their heads, though, as
Josh Aruya took the lead back with a kill immediately following. Guy earned kills on three of the next four points; his 14th of the night ended the set 25-22 Gauchos. The match was now tied at one set apiece.
Early in the third set, a 3-0 run made the score 7-5 UCLA. The Gauchos responded with a 4-0 run, concluded by consecutive aces from
Ben Coordt, forcing a Bruins timeout at 9-7 Gauchos. The teams then traded points to a 16-16 tie. Unfortunately for the home fans, UCLA calmed the crowd with a 5-0 and 7-1 run, taking control of the set. At set point, a kill and ace from Guy forced the second UCLA timeout, but the Bruins won the following point for a 25-20 victory and took a 2-1 lead in the match.
After hitting .500, .480, and .522 in the first three sets, the Bruins somehow hit even better in the fourth. They got out to a 9-3 lead, shrinking Santa Barbara's chances at forcing a decisive fifth set. The Gauchos would not go down without a fight, however, quickly getting back to a four-point deficit that stood to 13-9. From there, UCLA won five of six points to take a commanding 18-10 lead. Again, the Gauchos would fight back, using two true freshmen—and a successful challenge that flipped the score from 20-15 to 19-16. Guy tallied four more kills and substitute
Ethan Saint earned a kill and ace during a 6-1 Gauchos run. The Bruins would respond with a 4-0 run of their own, stifling any momentum and icing the match. With just one attack error, UCLA hit .688 (12-1-16) in the fourth and final set which ended 25-18 UCLA.
BY THE NUMBERS
- True freshman Riggs Guy was the unquestionable star of the night for the Gauchos, swinging for 25 kills on 34 swings. He hit .559 against the number-two team in the country.
- Jack Walmer tallied 33 assists and a team-leading 6 digs. The redshirt-senior setter also had two blocks, one behind Owen Birg for the team lead.
- Entering the match in the third set, true freshman Ethan Saint served well, earning an ace. The pin hitter also tallied three kills on six swings.
- UCLA opposite David Decker deserves some praise. Starting opposite Ido David was scratched after injuring himself during warm-ups, so Decker was called up and hit .500 (10-2-16).
UP NEXT
The Gauchos have a week off to recoup their energy after a three-match week. Next Friday, March 7, UC Santa Barbara hosts current-No. 14 UC San Diego, beginning Big West play. It is the only match of the week for the Gauchos, who will also celebrate Alumni Weekend. First serve is set for 7 p.m., with fans able to watch on ESPN+ or follow along via live stats at ucsbgauchos.com.
