Easy as 1-2-3.
Or, you could say the Gauchos said “Uno, dos, adios” to UC Irvine on Friday night.
In other words the UC Santa Barbara women’s volleyball team took the “three and flee” route when they routed the Anteaters 25-22, 25-21, 25-20 in a match that wasn’t nearly as close as the scores would indicate. UCSB kept its spot in second place in the Big West, improving to 7-5 in conference and 14-11 overall.
The Anteaters fell to 9-14 overall and 3-7.
Leah Sully had an enormous night recording 18 kills and 18 digs in the three-set match, adding a solo block and two block assists as no other Gaucho reached double digits in kills.
Sully did have some help defensively as Kara Sherrard and Chelsey Lowe chipped in 16 and 18 digs, respectively.
Lily Lopez added eight kills while hitting .353, Hanna Nielson handed out 34 assists and UCSB used six service aces to its advantage. While the Gauchos hit just .169 and committed 20 hitting errors, the team gutted through the night with an entire team effort to hold off the Anteaters.
It showed early that UCSB wanted it more as the Gauchos trailed in the opening set, 8-2, before back-to-back kills from Sully and then three straight service aces fro Stacey Schmidt gave the Gauchos momentum. Tied 21-21, UCSB used a pair of attack errors from UCI and kills from Schmidt and Sherrard closed it out.
UCSB jumped out to a 21-14 lead in the second set and cruised through the final four points, although the Anteaters made it interesting when they rattled off five straight points to make it 21-19. But a UCI attack error killed the buzz and the Gauchos were set.
Leading 16-15 in the third, UCSB scored four of the next five points to take control and go home early.
Santa Barbara hosts Cal State Northridge on Wednesday night, Nov. 9 before saying farewell to Lowe, Lopez and Schmidt in a senior ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 12 vs. Cal Poly.
