LOS ANGELES – For the second straight match, the UCSB women’s volleyball team needed extra time in the fifth and deciding set. Unfortunately for the Gauchos they were unable to replicate the magic from last weekend as UCSB fell to Loyola Marymount in a non-conference match on Friday night at Gersten Pavilion.
Playing for match point, UCSB’s Kara Sherrard had an attack error, opening the door for LMU to steal the set, and thus, the match from the Gauchos.
LMU’s Kara Keil had a kill to break a 17-17 tie and then an attack error by UCSB ended the match, allowing the Lions to escape with a 25-22, 20-25, 25-21, 18-25, 19-17 victory.
The loss, only the Gauchos’ third in the past nine contests, seemed almost like the volleyball gods were paying UCSB back after the Gauchos stunned UC Davis last Saturday with an improbable five-set win after Santa Barbara was down 14-11 in the fifth set.
UCSB falls to 10-7 overall while LMU improves to 10-8.
Stacey Schmidt led four Gauchos with double-digit kills as she racked up 17 and Leah Sully added 16. Lily Lopez, who had a career-high with 17 kills vs. Davis, had 14 on Friday and Sherrard added 11.
Sully, Schmidt, Sherrard and setter Hanna Nielson all had double-doubles. Sully totaled 15 digs while Schmidt and Sherrard each had 11. Nielson, who did not start, had 51 assists and 12 digs. Haley Uhland added 11 assists for UCSB while Chelsey Lowe had 23 digs.
UCSB’s stat line looked better than LMU’s as the Gauchos hit .255 as a team, dug 87 balls and totaled 10.0 team blocks but it was not enough.
The Gauchos, currently in first place in the Big West, will play at UC Irvine on Saturday at 7 p.m.
UCSB returns to the friendly confines of the Thunderdome on Saturday, Oct. 15 match with UC Riverside at 7:30 p.m. That will be the night UCSB inducts volleyball star Judy Bellomo as a Legend of the ‘Dome.
