SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team took on (RV) Iowa State Thursday night for their first home match of the 2026 season and first round of the Gaucho Invitational. The Gauchos stayed competitive, but ultimately the Cyclones came away with a 3-1 road win.
FROM HEAD COACH MICHAEL HENCHY
"I think for the most part we look at our standard of play, and I think that's where we fell short tonight," Henchy said. "Those are good teams, but there's no argument that we should say 'Oh, we shouldn't win this match.'" And I think if we can play to our standard, it looks like it did in the first set. And even the back end of the second set. I think, for us, it's just finding that gear for longer and figuring out what it takes."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set was vibrant, with the Gauchos coming out strong against the Cyclones. The teams saw a tie through 12-12, right after which the Gauchos began to chug ahead. It became 16-12, then 20-16, and the Gauchos finished it out 25-18. Bella Mathis went four for six from the center net, and Santa Barbara hit .533 as a whole.
Iowa State began to find their footing in the second set and marginally defeated the Gauchos 26-24. Neither team made it more than three points ahead of the other through 18-18, but then the Cyclones struck a couple of kills that took them into the lead. Iowa State found themselves at a 24-21 match point, but the Gauchos weren't done yet. They made it all the way to a tie at 24-24, which is where the Cyclones were finally able to end it.
The fourth set saw a great Gaucho comeback, with Santa Barbara staying on pace with the Cyclones as it had earlier in the match. The Gauchos equalized every step Iowa State made towards victory, as far as 16-16. Iowa State pushed to 19-16, but still the Gauchos responded and stood just one point behind at 20-19. The victorious five points would fall to the Cyclones, however, as Iowa State took home its first road win of the season.
STAT RECAP
Sophia Wendlick and Gabi Martinez led the attack, each of them getting a substantial 14 kills. Emma McDermott and Auburn Tomkinson followed up with nine kills apiece, with McDermott hitting .350.
Cortni Youngblood continued with 10+ digs, picking up 11 of the Cyclones' attacks. Wendlick bagged seven digs, while Mathis held up at the net. The middle put up seven blocks for a season high. Ayva Ostovar set efficiently, making 27 assists for her best tally of the year so far.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will close their home weekend with a match against Utah State on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 6:00 p.m. in The Thunderdome.
