SACRAMENTO – In securing both its first win and first sweep of the season, UCSB bombarded Fresno State and Sacramento State with efficient attacking and strong play at the net.
Opposite Britton Taylor and setter Ali Santi were named all-tournament, as those Gauchos led the team’s dominant offensive performances on day two of the Sacramento State Invitational.
Taylor topped UCSB with 31 kills (3.1 per set), as she hit for a collective .294 clip over the weekend. Overall, the UCSB offense finished the tournament with a .254 hitting percentage in part due to Santi who led Santa Barbara with 53 total assists, averaging 5.3 per set.
Fresno State
Behind Chanel Hoffman’s double-double, UCSB won its first match of the season with a 3-1 victory over Fresno State at the Sacramento State Invitational.
Hoffman led the floor with 15 kills as she hit at an outstanding .500 clip. The freshman also picked up 10 digs, while Ali Spindt paced UCSB with 11 scoops.
Britton Taylor was behind Hoffman with 12 kills, while Ali Barbeau and Jaylen Villanueva added 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Santa Barbara also had its best match at the net this season with 21 total blocks. Phoebe Grunt and Villanueva led the match with seven block assists.
In the decisive fourth set, the Gauchos jumped out to an early 14-7 lead. The deficit proved too much for the Bulldogs, as the Gauchos’ service game helped stretch that lead to 20-14. During that run, Barbeau registered consecutive service aces. Overall, the Gauchos penciled seven aces in the box score.
Jaylen Villanueva stepped up in the match’s final two points, as she recorded back-to-back kills to secure UCSB’s first win of the season.
Sacramento State
UCSB recorded its first sweep of the year with a dominant 25-19, 25-14, 25-15 display over Sacramento State. The Gauchos held the Hornets to a sparse -.043 hitting percentage, as Sacramento committed 27 attacking errors.
Britton Taylor led UCSB with nine kills, while Chanel Hoffman and Jaylen Villanueva added eight and seven, respectively.
The Gauchos had yet another solid performance at the net, totaling 16 blocks in the match. Allie Sullberg led UCSB in that category with five block assists and a solo block.
Defensively, tallied 41 scoops with Ali Spindt leading the way with nine. Hanna Nielson and Shauna Klein followed her with eight each.
UCSB will continue its season in Berkeley next week at the Cal Invitational. The Gauchos will open tournament play with Nevada on Sept. 12, as they will also play Pacific and the Golden Bears later in the weekend.
