SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – In their return to The Thunderdome, the UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team efficiently shut out the UC Riverside Highlanders. The Gauchos are now 5-2 in Big West play, a conference record tied with UC Irvine, Long Beach State, UC San Diego, and Sacramento State.
FROM OFFENSIVE LEADER AUBURN TOMKINSON
"I am so proud of this team for bouncing back after last weekend, we've put in the work this week and it's awesome to see that showing on and off the court!" Tomkinson said.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Santa Barbara started strong, winning the first set 25-18. The Gauchos opened 5-0 – a lead that was nearly entirely thanks to three service aces from Milan Rex. The Highlanders nearly equalized at 7-8, but the Gauchos never dropped their lead, staying ahead and reaching the 15-10 benchmark. Riverside almost caught up again at 16-17, but the Gauchos held their ground. With a small head start at 20-18, the Gauchos got three kills and five points to give them the first.
The second set was more favored towards the Gauchos, who took it 25-13. Santa Barbara first made it to 10-8 and had 18 total kills to the Highlanders' 10. They provided a 13-10 lead, then made six points in a row to reach 19-10. UC Riverside placed a couple more points, but the Gauchos easily took the set with a 12-point margin.
The Highlanders put up more of a challenge in the third, ending just three points behind the Gauchos, who clinched it 25-22. The teams tied at 5-5 and 8-8 before the Gauchos pushed to 12-9. But the Highlanders were encroaching, even taking a lead at 19-18. But the Gauchos tied it at 20-20, then made two more points to put themselves within reaching distance of the sweep. Kills by Bella Mathis and Tomkinson made it 24-22, then the two of them worked together to put up a block assist for the final point.
STAT RECAP
Auburn Tomkinson tied her season-high kill count to bring home 15 and lead the match. She once again made no errors on her 20 attempts and hit a flawless .750. The Gauchos hit .326 as a team, and Gabi Martinez followed up with nine kills. Milan Rex led the match in digs with eight and assists with 19. No Riverside player reached double-digit kills or digs.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos host California Baptist on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. for the teams' first-ever matchup
