The UCSB men’s volleyball team nearly upset sixth-ranked UC Irvine at Rob Gym Thursday night, taking the first two sets before ultimately falling 3-2 on scores of 23-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-11, 15-11.
Junior Nick Amoruso led the Gauchos with a season-high 17 kills and 10 digs, and setter Jack Walmer also had a double-double, with 12 digs and 39 assists. Ryan Wilcox had 11 kills — including five straight late in the second set before scoring the winning point with an ace.
Dayne Chalmers added 10 kills and nine digs for the Gauchos.
The first set saw an intense back and forth, but the Gauchos found their momentum on their hitting as Amoruso entered the game after Owen Birg came off due to an injury. The two teams kept the game tied until UCSB pulled away with a kill by Amoruso and a strong block from the front row to end the set, 25-23.
The next frame was no less exciting, filled with a couple of contentious calls and Irvine coming back in the latter half, but the kill run and ace from Wilcox led the UCSB to prevail, 25-22.
Sets three and four saw the Anteaters’ offensive come alive as the Gaucho struggled defensively to make the necessary plays to respond as UC Irvine forced a fifth set. While Santa Barbara was hungry for the win, the Anteaters’ hits proved to be too much for the Gauchos’ back row.
UCSB (5-12, 1-3 Big West) plays the Anteaters (13-6, 3-0 Big West) again on Friday, at the Bren Events Center in Irvine. First serve is at 7 p.m. from the Bren Events Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.