The No. 4 UC Santa Barbara men’s volleyball team won its 12th straight match on Friday night behind a 3-1 (25-16, 25-14, 20-25, 25-20) victory over Lindenwood in Rob Gym in the final non-conference match of the season.
With the win, the Gauchos improve to 15-3, and their 12-match win streak is now the longest in recorded history (since 1980), surpassing 11-match win streaks in both 1981 and 1987.
Ryan Wilcox paced the offense yet again with a match-high 11 kills while Spencer Frederick joined him in double-figures with 10 kills and added 10 digs for the double-double. Corey Chavers finished with nine kills, five digs and three total blocks while Brandon Hicks led the team with four blocks to go along with six kills. Casey McGarryfacilitated the offense to the tune of 33 assists and Keenan Sanders finished with a game-high three of the Gauchos’ eight service aces.
UCSB outhit Lindenwood .248 (45-18-109) to .068 (34-27-103) and cruised to big wins in the opening two sets. The Gauchos came out of the gate hitting .448 with 16 kills in the first set to put the Lions away 25-16.
The second set saw nine errors from Lindenwood, who hit just -.111, while the Gauchos hit .318 and dominated the set from start to finish, winning 25-14.
Looking to avoid the sweep, the Lions picked up their play in the third set, taking an early lead and holding off a late and furious comeback attempt from the Gauchos.
In the fourth set, UCSB still struggled offensively, hitting just .136 with six errors and nine kills, but took full advantage of a poor offensive set from the Lions, who had a match-high 10 errors in the set and hit -.037.
The Gauchos will now get ready for the remainder of their Big West Conference slate, beginning next Thursday, Mar. 14 at No. 1 Long Beach State. UCSB is back in Rob Gym the next night, Friday, Mar. 15 at 7:00 p.m. against the 49ers.