Long Beach – UCSB traveled to face the 49ers, but could not continue their winning streak. Long Beach State swept the Gauchos in three sets. Game scores went 25-23, 25-20, 25-22.
The Gauchos record now stands at 7-12 overall, 5-10 MPSF. The 49ers’ victory boosts them to a 13-4, 11-3 record.
Long Beach State came out swinging and took a six-point lead early on. The Gauchos would not let up and eventually cut the lead to one at 23-22. After a quick time out by the 49ers, the home team was able to close out the first set.
In the next set, UCSB was able to get off to a quick lead. The Gauchos went on a five-point spurt to take the early advantage. However, Long Beach State was resilient and went on its own five-point run. Once the game was tied at 18 all, the 49ers powered through to take the second set.
In the final set, the Gauchos found themselves in another deficit at 22-16. Then a kill from Miles Evans sparked the team to go on a four-point run. Even though the Gauchos were catching up, Long Beach State was able to hold on to its lead. Colten Echave’s final kill ended the night for the Gauchos.
49er Taylor Crabb led the game with a dominating performance of 13 kills. Additionally, Ian Satterfield and Dalton Ammerman each contributed 8 kills apiece. Moreover, Connor Olbright picked up 35 assists and 11 digs in the victory.
Ultimately, the Gauchos were hurt because they were unable to convert swings into kills. The team finished the game with just a .172 hitting percentage. Nonetheless, Evan Licht continued to show his power as he hammered 11 kills through out the night. Miles Evans was right behind him, slamming down ten kills of his own. Both Licht and Jonah Seif swept up eight digs each for the Gaucho’s defense.
While this game marks the last of the Gaucho’s road trip, UCSB has been more successful at home. UCSB returns to Rob Gym as they take on Stanford on March 8th at 7:00 p.m.
