Sophia Wendlick led a balanced attack, sparking the UC Santa Barbara women’s volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Utah State in the final match of the Gaucho Invitational on Saturday at the Thunderdome.
Wendlick put away 16 kills on a .367 hitting percentage in a 25-17, 25-19, 16-25, 25-15 result, giving coach Michael Henchy his first home victory and improving his team’s record to 4-1.
The Gauchos were coming off a four-set loss against Iowa State, which went 2-0 in the invitational.
“It was a nice weekend for us overall against some very strong teams,” Henchy said. “I’m happy to see the growth in our group week to week, and they showed a ton of grit through the 8 sets we played. This Gaucho team is a ton of fun to coach and watch, and I’m proud of their commitment to each other.”
Gabi Martinez recorded 12 kills, Auburn Tomkinson put away 10 and Emma McDermott added nine as UCSB did most of its damage from the outside hitting positions against Utah State. Setters Milan Rex (22) and Ayva Ostovar (18) combined for 40 assists.
In the middle, Emery Tubbs and Bella Mathis combined for nine blocks and five kills. Tubbs, starting in place of the injured Sandrea Thomas, led the team with six blocks.
Libero Cortni Youngblood played a strong match, picking up a match-high 20 digs. The Gaucho defense held Utah State (0-4) to a hitting percentage of .101.
“I think we responded really well after the third set,” Youngblood said. “I think there was a little bit of a pushback, but I think what we were most happy about as a team is how we responded, and Mike was super happy with that. Just a lot of improvement, and then a win at home – first one.”
Sami Blackett led Utah State with nine kills and four blocks.
After dropping the third set, the Gauchos regrouped and finished the match on a high note. They committed only two hitting errors, hit .375 and had 14 kills to Utah State’s seven.
Tompkinson and McDermott were a force hitting and blocking on the right side and Wendlick and Martinez did damage on the left.
The Gauchos go back on the road for their next six matches. They start the road trip at Wyoming on Thursday and continue with weekend contests in Fort Collins, Colo. against host Colorado State and South Dakota on Friday and Saturday. The following week they play at Pepperdine on Sept. 18 and face UC Davis and USC on Sept. 19 and 20 at USC’s Galen Center.
The next home match is the Big West opener against CSUN on Sept. 25.
