Led by sophomore outside hitter Jacob Delson’s 15 kills and senior middle Jake Staahl’s six blocks, the fourth-ranked UC Santa Barbara men’s volleyball team cruised to a three-set win over visiting St. Francis in Thursday afternoon’s season opener for both teams at Rob Gym.
Game scores for the match were 25-22, 25-14, 25-22. It was the first match to be played at Rob Gym since undergoing an extensive renovation over the summer and fall months.
A year after going 13-2 in home contests, the Gauchos once again dominated on their home court against the Red Flash. UCSB trailed at only one point in the entire contest after St. Francis claimed the first point of the second set.
Besides that, it was all Gauchos from the get-go. Redshirt senior opposite Kevin Donohue kicked off the season with a cross-court kill on the very first play of the match. Donohue went on to record a set-high four kills in the opening stanza, alongside junior outside hitter Weston Nielsen who also had four. Nielsen’s third kill gave UCSB its biggest lead of the set at 20-15, and Staahl would close out the opener with a quick hit at 25-22.
Despite dropping the first point, the Gauchos really hit their stride in the middle set. Leading 9-7, UCSB would rip off a 13-4 run to take a commanding 22-11 lead. Delson was a key contributor to the run, chipping in three kills. Donohue added a pair of kills as well and the Gauchos’ serving efforts forced the Red Flash into a number of mistakes. UCSB hit .647 as a team in the fluid set.
UCSB head coach Rick McLaughlin sat a few of his starters for the final game, but the reserves came in and kept the offense rolling. Redshirt senior Vaun Lennon came off the bench to pitch in four kills, but Delson was the real star of the set, collecting eight kills – over half his total – in the clincher. A Delson swing led to four of the team’s first four points in the set, and then after “cooling off” he finished the match with an attack through the block and down the middle of the Red Flash defense.
Junior setter Jonah Seif validated his status as a Preseason All-America selection with a banner night, collecting 31 assists before exiting the match for good midway through the third. All of the starting hitters averaged at least 3.5 kills per set for the contest and as a group they hit a staggering .511, including clips of .500 for Delson and a match-best .700 for junior Weston Nielsen (eight kills).
Besides his impressive swinging night, Delson was also a force at the service line. A serving specialist as a freshman last year, the Westlake Village, Calif. native notched three of the team’s four aces on the night, including a pair in the middle game.
At the net, Staahl led the way offensively and defensively for the Gauchos. His six stuffs were the most of any player on either team and he figured into 75% of UCSB’s team blocks on the night. He also added four kills on just five swings for the night. Beside him, redshirt junior Ryan Hardy posted two kills and two blocks, including the team’s only solo block.
The only newcomer to start for UCSB, libero Hayden Boehle, recorded four digs in two sets of action.
“We looked a little rusty at first but you could tell we really hit our stride in the second game,” said McLaughlin. “We’re a group with a lot of depth and a lot of our guys have gotten stronger, more mature, and you’ll see that reflected in the level of their game.”
The Gauchos will get right back into action on Friday as they assume hosting duties for the 51st annual UCSB Asics Invitational. The Gauchos will play Limestone at 10:00 a.m. and Princeton at 7:00 p.m. on Friday as part of the tournament before closing against IPFW and volleyball coaching legend Arnie Ball on Saturday night.
“We’re really excited to play all these teams,” said McLaughlin. “It’s pretty rare that we’re able to get in so many non-conference matches, so we definitely plan on taking advantage of this opportunity.”
