PALO ALTO, Calif. – The No. 17 UC Santa Barbara men's volleyball team (4-0) heads north this week for its first road test of the season, taking on Stanford in back-to-back matches Thursday and Friday on the Cardinal home court.

RIDING A HIGH
The Gauchos came out firing to start the season, sweeping through the 61st annual ASICS Invitational with undefeated performances against Kentucky State (3–0), Maryville (3–1), and Harvard (3–1) at Rob Gym.

Riding a three-game winning streak, Santa Barbara carried their momentum into the following week, sweeping The Master's University Mustangs in their first regular-season match at the Thunderdome.

GAUCHO PERFORMANCES 
George Bruening put on a show for the Gauchos against the Mustangs, tallying 15 kills, 2 aces, and 1 block. Ben Pearson added 11 kills, and Cole Schobel ran the floor with 32 assists, setting up his teammates for success.

LOOKING AT STANFORD:
The Stanford Men's Volleyball team is currently ranked #14 in the NCAA and has already faced tough opponents like Lewis University, Ball State, and Loyola Chicago. Stanford currently holds a 0–3 record but looks to turn around their shaky start. 

The Gauchos are 1-4 against the Cardinal this decade, but 51-40 in history. 

FOLLOW ALONG:
The Cardinal and Gauchos are set to face off at 6 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday in Maples Pavilion. Fans unable to attend in person can catch the action streamed on the Big Ten Network, with live stats available at ucsbgauchos.com.