UCSB’s Jack Walmer was a substitute player on Hawaii’s national championship men’s volleyball team last season.
On Thursday, he made his debut as the starting setter for the Gauchos and was a difference maker in a four-set season-opening victory against USC in the first match of UCSB’s Asics Invitational at Rob Gym.
Walmer had 37 assists, helping the Gauchos hit an efficient .358 in a 19-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-23 win.
In other action, UCLA swept CSUN, and UC San Diego outlasted Lincoln Memorial in five sets.
Friday’s schedule starts with UCLA playing UC San Diego at 3 p.m., UCSB taking on Lincoln Memorial at 5:30 and USC facing CSUN at 8 p.m.
The Gauchos, ranked seventh in the AVCA preseason poll, close out the tournament Saturday at 8 p.m. against No. 2 UCLA. Earlier, CSUN plays Lincoln Memorial at 3 p.m. followed by UC San Diego against USC at 5:30 p.m.
UCSB recovered from a shaky first set, in which they had only seven kills and .143.
Walmer and his hitters got into a flow and took charge. The Gauchos put away 16 kills and hit .520 in the second set and had 10 kills on .529 hitting in the third set.
Senior Ryan Wilcox led the attack with 14 kills on .417 hitting. He also had nine digs. Dayne Chalmers recorded 11 kills and hit .346, and middle Brandon Hicks produced 8 kills on a .500 attack percentage.
Sophomore libero Max Gordon picked up nine digs.
The Gauchos stepped up on defense in the fourth set as they picked up 15 digs.
UCSB trailed 19-14 and 20-16 in the fourth set. An ace serve by Wilcox started the comeback. Chalmers followed with a put away of a Walmer set to make it 20-19.
A pair of attack errors by USC gave the Gauchos a 21-20 lead.
Simon Gallas tied the score for the Trojans with a kill and followed with an ace serve for a 22-21 lead.
Wilcox evened the score with a kill, but a service error gave the lead back to USC, 23-22.
UCSB came back with three straight points to win the match. Walmer fed Hicks for a kill to tie the score and USC committed a hitting error to put the Gauchos at match point.
Conor Dunn and Hicks combined to block Kevin Kobrine for the winning point.
USC was led by Korbine and Gallas with 12 kills apiece.
The Gauchos lost three times to USC last season.