The No. 13 Gauchos rallied for a pair of impressive sweeps against MIVA opponents to end the UCSB Asics Invitational with a 2-1 record and a six set winning streak. The Loyola (Chicago) Ramblers were the Gauchos’ victims on Saturday afternoon, falling by a score of 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-20). They beat Lewis on Friday night.
Top-seeded and defending national champion UC Irvine beat UCLA and former coach John Speraw in the championship match in five sets.
Sophomore opposite Matt Marsh led the offense for the Gauchos, pacing all players with 17 kills and 29 swings. Marsh was especially impressive early in the match, as he put down eight kills on a .636 hitting percentage in the first frame and added another six kills in the second. Matt’s offensive exploits set the tone for UCSB, resulting in a .548 team hitting percentage in the first game and an incredible 94% sideout conversion rate in the second.
Rounding out the offense, sophomore outside hitter Weston Nielsen contributed in his season debut with eight kills on 19 swings, while sophomore outside hitter Austin Kingi put down seven of his own on just 15 swings.
For the second straight match, the Gauchos exhibited a superb blocking display, racking up 12.5 blocks as a team. Senior middle blocker Dylan Davis led the way with eight total blocks (two solo, six assists), while freshman setter Andrew Kocur chipped in four blocks in his UCSB debut. Kocur also recorded 33 assists, over half of which came in a stellar 17-assist first game performance. Loyola was held to a .000 or lower hitting percentages in both the second and third games, hitting .084 overall.
“You never know what to expect in this tournament, but we’re happy with the way we recovered after that first loss,” said UCSB head coach Rick McLaughlin. “You can tell a difference already with this year’s team, they know how to react in pressure situations, and the UCLA match was a little bit of a wake up call, so we think we’ll be ready going forward.”
Loyola, which ended the tournament with an 0-3 record, was led by freshman outside hitter Thomas Jaeschke with 12 kills.
The Gauchos start MPSF conference play next week, as they will host the Long Beach State 49ers on Wednesday night at Rob Gym.
UCSB Asics Invitational Day Two Results
Championship Match: UC Irvine def. UCLA, 3-2
Third Place Match: Long Beach State def. UC San Diego, 3-2
Consolation Match: UCSB def. Loyola (Chicago) 3-0
Consolation Match: Cal Baptist def. Lewis 3-1
UCSB asics Invitational All-Tournament Team
Vaun Lennon – UC San Diego
Connor Olbright – Long Beach State
Dylan Davis – UC Santa Barbara
Robart Page – UCLA
Evan Mottram – UCLA
Connor Hughes – UC Irvine
MVP: Collin Mehring – UC Irvine
