The No. 5 UCSB men’s volleyball team battled hard to try and extend its Friday night match at No. 4 Hawaii, but couldn’t get over the hump in sets that went down to the wire, falling 25-16, 25-23, 28-26.
UCSB is now 16-7 overall and 5-3 in Big West play, while the Rainbow Warriors improve to 19-5 overall, 4-3 conference.
For the fifth time in his career, junior outside hitter Ryan Wilcox posted a 5.0 kill per set average, leading all players on the night with 15 kills (.229) to go along with six digs.
Hawaii had only a slight hitting advantage of .278 to .242, while the Gauchos outblocked the Bows led by middle Brandon Hicks’ six blocks, one shy of his season-high.
Opposite Haotian Xia was second on the team with nine kills. He also led UCSB with two of its four aces and a pair of blocks.
Outside hitter Dayne Chalmers had eight kills, four blocks and an ace. It was an efficient hitting night for the sophomore, whose .421 kill percentage trailed only Donovan Todorov’s .667 (4/6 kills) for the team.
Making an appearance for the third straight contest, freshman libero Max Gordon finished with a team and season-high 10 digs, equaling his total from the previous two matches.
Xia began the match with one of his four opening set kills, but that would be the Gauchos’ only lead early on as Hawaii responded with a 7-2 run.
The Bows held UCSB to its worst hitting stretch of the night, enjoying a .296 to .074 advantage. They took a double-digit lead on two occasions before winning it on a Gaucho service error.
In the second set, after a 7-7 tie, the Rainbow Warriors pulled ahead with an 8-2 spurt including two kills from Spyros Chakas.
The Gauchos fought their way back from a 20-15 deficit, as back-to-back blocks were followed by an ace from Chalmers to tie things at 23-23.
However, the home side came out of a timeout with a kill and a block to go up 2-0.
Both offenses fired on all cylinders in set three – particularly Wilcox, who refused to be denied as he racked up an incredible 10 kills. UCSB trailed 19-13, but the Honolulu native helped lead a staggering run as the Gauchos stormed ahead 23-21.
Once again, the Bows found a timely response, scoring three straight to get to match point. The Gauchos overcame three consecutive match points, but couldn’t do it a fourth time as the night ended in a 28-26 third set defeat.
For the second straight night on Saturday, the Gauchos will face Hawaii at the Stan Sheriff Center at 10:00 p.m. PT on ESPN+.
Michael Jorgenson writes about sports for UCSB.
email: sports@newspress.com
