The No. 17 UC Santa Barbara Men’s Volleyball team (4-9) made the trip down the 101 for the second leg of the series against the No. 12 Pepperdine Waves.
It was a quick match in the Firestone Fieldhouse as UC Santa Barbara could not find their rhythm, dropping this match in three sets with scores of 16-25, 21-25 and 23-25.
The Gauchos scored the first point of the match, but from there, the Waves were in control. After the first set was tied at 5-5, Pepperdine started to gain the lead, which included multiple service runs and the team hitting at a .667 clip, only making one error the entire set.
Despite Josh Aruya’s offensive efforts, UC Santa Barbara could not stop Pepperdine’s attack, resulting in the first set going to the Waves with a score of 25-16.
Once the second set began, Pepperdine picked up right where they left off. The Gauchos hung on for the first few points before the Waves pushed ahead, going up by as many as five during this set.
Although UC Santa Barbara tried to close the gap, they weren’t able to do so as Pepperdine took the second set 25-21.
With the match on the line, the Gauchos came out hot in the third set. An early service run with Sam Collins gave UC Santa Barbara the early four-point lead that ultimately grew to six.
However, the Waves responded with a run of their own, tying up the set at 14-14. These two teams vied for the lead the rest of the way until it came down to the final five points.
UC Santa Barbara did everything they could to come out with the win, but in the end, the Waves proved to be too much as UC Santa Barbara lost the third and final set 25-23.
Patrick Kane had the best outing for the Gauchos. He only played in two sets but racked up six kills with only one error on 11 swings which comes out to a .455 hitting percentage.
Middle blockers Josh Aruya and Owen Loncar were beneficial to the team’s offensive efforts. Aruya contributed five kills, hitting at a .375 clip, while adding on a block. Loncar hit at a .600 clip with three kills and no errors on five swings.
Greg Baglio and Jack Walmer split time as the team’s primary setter. Walmer finished the match with 11 assists to go along with a team-high two aces and four digs. Baglio helped out as well with 14 assists.
Joe Wallace and Geste Bianchi led the team when it came to the back row defense. They ended the night with five digs each.
The Gauchos will be back on the road next week as they get ready to take on Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks. This match will take place on Thursday, Feb. 15 with first serve taking place at 7 p.m.