UCSB and San Diego State dueled into a pair of overtime sets, but the Aztecs were victorious in both, completing a 3-0 win in the Thunderdome on Saturday afternoon.
Chanel Hoffman continued to led the Gauchos in the kill category with 10, while Britton Taylor registered seven off her .305 hitting percentage. In running the offense, Hanna Nielson recorded a match-high 21 assists.
Sydney Bast reached a career-high with 18 digs, which also led the match. At the net, Phoebe Grunt finished with five total blocks, adding to her eight points which trailed only Hoffman on the UCSB roster.
The Aztecs took the first set 25-19, as they were able to ride a 6-0 run, breaking a 14-14 tie, to the win. SDSU attacked at a .345 clip in the game, but the Gauchos came back in the second and third sets to hold their offense to a combined .215 hitting clip.
San Diego State maintained the momentum it picked up in the first game and captured a 22-14 lead in the second. But despite the daunting deficit, the Gauchos battled back with a 10-2 run to the tie the set at 24-24.
UCSB’s offense exploded in that stretch, as nine of the 10 points where from kills and a service ace. Hoffman led the Gauchos with three kills, while Devin Joos had a strong stint at the service line with an ace and putting SDSU out of their system for four straight points.
With the score even at 24-all, fans were treated to a thrilling back-and-forth between the teams that featured five tied scores. Hoffman came up with two kills and Joos recorded one during the extra points, but the Aztecs were able to outlast the Gauchos in the 31-29 finish.
Following the break, UCSB looked reinvigorated in opening the third set with a 10-3 run. The team gave up the first point, but responded with seven straight points triggered by a block from Grunt and Jaylen Villanueva. Grunt went on to slam in two kills during the stretch, and Hoffman provided the exclamation mark with a kill.
SDSU had a response, though, with an 8-1 run to take a 17-15. From there, the teams swapped the lead six times before the Aztecs won it 29-27.
The Gauchos’ season will continue next Friday when they visit Hawai’i for a 10 p.m. PDT match. UCSB will return to the Thunderdome the following week to host CSUN (10/2) and Long Beach State (10/3).
