Three Gauchos notched double-digit kill tallies, but the UCSB men’s volleyball team could not hold onto a 2-1 advantage, falling to Long Beach State in five sets in the second round of the Santa Barbara Invitational, 30-28, 25-30, 25-30, 30-28, and 15-10, Thursday night at Robertson Gymnasium.
Jeff Menzel led the way for the Gauchos, collecting a match-high 31 kills on 65 attempts. Cullen Irons followed with 13 kills and Jake Rosener had 10 to go along with a team-high 13 digs. Setter Vince Devany dished out 60 assists; 28 of those came in the second and third frames.
Antwain Aguillard swung at a .522 clip for the 49ers, connecting on 15 of his 23 attack attempts with only three errors. Dean Bittner led the team in kills with 22. Tommy Pestolesi had 11 kills. Kory Matsukoto led all players with 15 digs.
After dropping the first set, the Gauchos swung at a .421 rate throughout the next two sets to take a 2-1 lead. Menzel contributed 15 kills and the Gauchos sported an 80% sideout percentage during that time span.
However, Long Beach State would take the next two sets as the Gauchos limped to the finish, hitting just .089 during the last two frames. The 49ers would race out to a 10-6 lead in the fifth set, thanks to a pair of kills and a pair of blocks from Bittner. Despite two kills from Menzel, 10-13 is the closest UCSB would get.
A Pestolesi kill and a double block from Dan Alexander and Connor Eaton closed out the match for the 49ers in the fifth set, 15-10.
The win propels Long Beach State into the fifth place match against UC Irvine at 1:30 p.m. With the loss, the Gauchos will face UC San Diego in the seventh place match at 11 a.m. UC Irvine defeated UC San Diego in four sets in the second round.
Cal State Northridge overtook Cal Baptist in four sets and BYU outlasted UCLA in five. CSUN will face BYU for the tournament championship at 6:30 while UCLA and Cal Baptist will face-off in the third-place match at 4 p.m.
All UCSB faculty and staff will be admitted free to Friday’s matches as part of the Faculty Free Fridays program. Just show your faculty or staff ID at the door and get in. It’s that simple.
Thursday’s Second Round Scores
Cal State Northridge def. Cal Baptist 3-1 (30-21, 30-32, 30-19, 30-19)
BYU def. UCLA 3-2 (30-26, 24-30, 27-30, 30-24, 15-11)
UC Irvine def. UC San Diego 3-1 (30-28, 22-30, 30-26, 30-21)
Long Beach State def. UC Santa Barbara 3-2 (30-28, 25-30, 25-30, 30-28, 15-10)
Friday, January 8th Final Round Matches
7th place match: UC Santa Barbara vs. UC San Diego, 11 a.m.
5th place match: UC Irvine vs. Long Beach State, 1:30 p.m.
3rd place match: Cal Baptist vs. UCLA, 4 p.m.
Championship match: Cal State Northridge vs. BYU, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday’s First Round Scores
Cal State Northridge def. UC Santa Barbara 3-1 (31-29, 28-10, 30-17, 30-19)
UCLA def. UC San Diego 3-2 (30-24, 24-30, 26-30, 31-29, 15-8)
BYU def. UC Irvine 3-1 (22-30, 30-26, 30-22, 30-27)
Cal Baptist def. Long Beach State 3-2 (31-29, 27-30, 28-30, 30-28)
