The UCSB women’s volleyball team earned its seventh sweep of the season with a 25-19, 25-11, 25-20 Big West win over UC Irvine at the Thunderdome Thursday.
The Gauchos improve to 9-2 in conference play and stay in second place behind 10-1 Hawai’i and ahead of 8-2 Cal Poly. Irvine falls to 6-5. UCSB is 13-8 overall.
Briana McKnight ended the match with 14 kills, on a potent .417 clip, and was the only player on either team in double figures. She added eight digs and two blocks.
Freshman Kimi Waller made an impressive collegiate debut with seven kills on a .375 percentage, to go with a pair of blocks and three assists. Mehana Ma’a dished 21 assists and added nine digs for the Gauchos. Libero Macall Peed dove for 15 digs and had two assists. Michelle Ohwobete had nine kills and nine digs.
Despite the sweep, the Anteaters kept at the Gauchos’ heels in the first and third sets. As the teams vied for dominance at the start, an 8-1 UCSB run gave them a seemingly comfortable 15-6 first-set lead. But UC Irvine fought back with a 7-1 run of its own, closing the score to 23-19. McKnight ended the set with a big block and a fast kill for the Gauchos.
The Gauchos strode to a 21-11 lead in the third set, but the Anteaters made a couple of runs to close the gap before falling 25-20.
The Gauchos will face down UC San Diego at the Thunderdome on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m.