The UCSB women’s volleyball team suffered its third consecutive defeat at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday with a 3-1 loss to New Mexico State, a team receiving votes in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Poll. The Aggies defeated the Gauchos 25-14, 25-22, 23-25, 25-18.
With the loss, UCSB falls to 3-5 on the season while New Mexico State improves to 5-6 overall.
Sophomore Charlene DeHoog led the Gaucho attack, tallying a career-best 16 kills in the match while also posting eight digs and a service ace. Sophomore setter Dana Vargas had her second double-double performance of the year with 34 assists and 10 digs.
Senior Lauren McLaughlin was second on the team with nine kills, but it was freshman Lily Lopez that turned in the best hitting percentage, landing six kills on nine attempts with no errors (.667). Senior libero Leigh Stephenson rounded out the team leaders with 16 digs in the match.
For the Aggies, Lindsey Yon led the charge, tallying 18 kills and a .368 clip.
For the match, New Mexico State outhit UCSB .227 to .090 and outblocked the Gauchos 10-3.
The Gauchos will play in Southern California for the first time this season when they head to Loyola Marymount on Tuesday.
