By ERIC BOOSE
UCSB SPORTS
The UCSB men’s volleyball team (5-13, 1-4 Big West) fell to No. 6 UC Irvine (13-6, 3-0 Big West) for the second time this week, 3-0 on the road Friday night. The final scores were 23-25, 22-25, 20-25.
HOW IT HAPPENED
With heavy hitters Nick Amoruso and Ryan Wilcox in the front, UCSB kept the game tied in the first frame up until the last moment, but Irvine’s hitting eventually allowed them turn the tide to take the set.
The second frame also saw a tight back-and-forth between the Anteaters and the Gauchos, but a service error, then two kills from the home team left the Gauchos unable to keep up, and Irvine would take the set 22-25.
Although Irvine came out in the third set with a four-point lead, UCSB chipped away at it. However, the Gauchos were unable to regain any sort of momentum as the Anteaters’ hitting proved to be too much, averaging .400, and the frame ended with the home team completing the sweep.
ON THE STAT SHEET
– Amoruso continued his strong showing this week, leading the team with 14 kills and 16 points.
– Wilcox continues his double-digit kill streak, going on his fifth game with 10 kills and racking up 13 points.
– Dayne Chalmers also contributed to the offensive with nine kills as well as the defense with three blocks.
– Wilcox, Chalmers, and Jack Walmer all had six digs apiece. Walmer also totaled 30 assists on the night.
– Dain Johnson had himself an outing, putting up four blocks and contributing two kills.
UP NEXT
UCSB will return to Rob Gym on March 31 to take on No. 1 Hawaii. First serve will be at 7 p.m.
Eric Boose is assistant director of athletic communications at UCSB.
email: sports@newspress.com
