TUCSON, Ariz. – Carrying the momentum of their 3-2 Friday night win to Saturday morning, the UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team went 3-0 against Prairie View A&M to open their season 2-0. The Gauchos defeated the Lady Panthers at 10 a.m. in the teams' first-ever match up and will look to finish the weekend undefeated against Arizona on Sunday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams were tied to start off the first set , but the Gauchos gained some traction to reach double digits first at 10-5. They stayed ahead, making it to 15-10 and 20-13. Though Santa Barbara had almost reached the finish line at 23-17, Prairie View A&M made four points in a row to make it 23-21. Then, back-to-back kills by Bella Mathis took the first set home for the Gauchos 25-21.
The Lady Panthers kept up with the Gauchos during the first stage of the third set, with Santa Barbara leading by just 2 points at 10-8. But the Blue and Gold surged ahead and had it 17-10 after making seven of the next nine points. The Gauchos carried ahead to 22-13, but the Lady Panthers still had some fight, putting up five more points before Santa Barbara took the set 25-18.
The Gauchos wrapped the match with another set win, this time taking it 25-19. Santa Barbara had a slight lead at 8-7 before they once again jumped ahead to 13-7 thanks to five points in a row. They kept going, reaching an eleven point lead at 22-11. The Lady Panthers made eight points in a row, nearly catching up, but the Gauchos were able to seal the deal and have the final set in their caps.
STAT RECAP
Gabi Martinez and Sophia Wendlick governed the offense, making 15 and 13 kills, respectively. Both hitters had incredible hitting ratios, with Martinez going .355 and Wendlick a remarkable .440 from just 25 attempts. Wendlick nearly picked up a double double, securing 9 digs as well.
Cortni Youngblood kept up her 10+ dig streak, making 11 for the most of the match. Selah Wadsworth made her career debut, picking up a kill to mark the occasion. Ayva Ostovar led in assists with 19 as well as aces with 3.
The Gauchos wrap the tournament Sunday at 12:30 p.m. against host Arizona.
