By DANIEL MOEBUS-BOWLES
UCSB SPORTS WRITER
The UCSB women’s volleyball team won its fifth straight match 3-0 Friday night, sweeping Cal State Bakersfield to improve to 12-1 in Big West play. The Gauchos have swept the regular season series against three different opponents now.
During the home match, UCSB outhit CSUB .348 to 0.94, had 44 kills to the visitors’ 26, and outblocked the team nine to three.
The Gauchos’ Rowan Ennis missed on just two swings, posting a 6-1-8 line for a .625 hitting percentage to go with three blocks, three digs and two aces.
Deni Wilson had a potent 9-1-14 line for a .571 and had six total blocks.
Kobie Jimenez led with eight digs, and Grace Kloss just edged out Mehana Ma’a in assists 18 to 17.
UCSB won the first set 25-15.
The only lead the CSUB Roadrunners saw in the opening set was at 1-0 with the Gauchos going on a pair of 3-0 runs and a 7-0 win to grab a 14-6 lead.
UCSB swung a match-high .407, committing just two errors and went 10-for-15 on sideout opportunities.
The Gaucho defense held CSUB to a match-low 0.34 hitting percentage with help from Ennis who picked up two solos in the match.
UCSB went on to win the second set 25-15.
The Roadrunners never led in the second set as the Gauchos parlayed the first set momentum into a 7-0 opening run.
UCSB outhit CSUB .333 to .074 and led by as much as eight at 20-12.
Deni Wilson found four blocks in the set.
UCSB won the third set 25-17.
Once again CSUB only managed to have one lead in the final set at 1-0.
The roadrunners kept it close early but the determined Gauchos rode a 6-1 run to an 18-13 lead and never looked back.
Tallulah Froley had four kills in the set.
Daniel Moebus-Bowles works in communications/media relations at UCSB.
email: dmason@newspress.com
