UCSB’s five-match homestand ended on a sour note, as the Gauchos were defeated by the USC Trojans 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-22) on Friday night.
UCSB has now lost six straight, and ended their homestand with an 0-5 record.
Overall, the Gauchos now sit at 5-15, and are 3-13 in MPSF play.
The Trojans, winners of 10 straight, are now 15-4, 12-4. The win was the 100th career win for USC Head Coach Bill Ferguson.
UCSB received solid play from freshman opposite Matt Marsh, who entered the match in the second game and ended up with 11 kills to lead all players.
Marsh had eight kills in the second set, which accounted for over half of UCSB’s 14 points.
Junior outside hitter Miles Evans followed up Marsh’s effort with a seven kill performance over two games.
As a team, the Gauchos were able to pick up three service aces after being shut out from the service on line on Wednesday against Pepperdine.
USC was led by Tony Ciarelli, who with 10 kills was the only Trojan to finish with double-digit kills. However, four Trojans finished with eight or more, displaying the depth of their attack.
UCSB will take off next week for final exams before hitting the road to take on UC Irvine and UC San Diego on Mar. 30 and 31, respectively.
