Sam Meister, UCSB volleyball
UCSB's Sam Meister blasts the ball past Pepperdine blockers during the Gauchos' five-set victory. Meister is a Santa Barbara High alum. Credit: Jeff Liang / UCSB Athletics

UCSB men’s volleyball rebounded from being swept at Pepperdine with a five-set victory against the fifth-ranked Waves on Friday night at Rob Gym. The scores were 21-25, 25-21, 16-25, 25-11, 15-12.

The Gauchos, who were swept in Malibu on Thursday, snapped a seven-match losing streak.

Dayne Chalmers led the Gauchos (2-7) with the best offensive performance of his career as he notched 17 kills with no errors on 25 attempts. His .680 hitting percentage was also the highest in his career as an outside hitter. He contributed to the defensive efforts with two blocks and four digs. 

Ryan Wilcox posted a double-double of 13 kills and 12 digs and Owen Birg notched 13 kills while helping the team in the front row with three blocks. 

Former Santa Barbara High star Sam Meister started in the middle and had a big impact on the match. He scored 11 points with five blocks, including one solo, served two aces and put away six kills.

Also in the middle, Donovan Todorov hit at a .600 clip (7 kills) while adding four blocks. 

Setter Jack Walmer dished out 46 assists and served three aces.

Pepperdine suffered its second loss of the season, and is now 8-2.

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Barry Punzal, Sports Editor

— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.