UC Irvine didn’t give UCSB’s men’s volleyball team any ideas on Saturday night, taking care of the Gauchos 25-21, 25-22, 25-23 in a MPSF match.
The Gauchos had started the season with wins in three of their first four games before Irvine, which is ranked No. 2 in the country.
The loss drops the Gauchos to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in MPSF play.
Senior opposite Cullen Irons was the only Gaucho to record double digit kills, tallying 11 on 27 attacks. Senior setter Vince Devany led the Gauchos in both assists (22) and digs (7). The Gauchos swung at a measly .158 clip for the game.
The Anteaters were led by Santa Barbara native Carson Clark and Cory Yoder, who recorded 14 and 13 kills respectively. Yoder had a particularly strong hitting percentage of .722 for the match. Setter Daniel Stork dished out 37 assists.
UCSB plays two more games on the road this week against Long Beach State on Tuesday and Cal State Northridge on Friday before returning to Rob Gym for a two-game homestand.
Too bad the Gauchos lost, but Irvine is tough competition…