With three games decided by a two-point margin, UCSB (4-6) and Loyola Marymount (7-3) went toe-to-toe in a toughly contested 3-2 decision, which the Lions took following a 16-14 fifth set victory.
For the second consecutive match, Chanel Hoffman led the Gauchos with 10 kills, while freshman Lindsey Ruddins hit a career-high with eight. Annie Hasselmann paced the roster with 26 assists, while fellow setter Hanna Nielson dished out 13 of her own.
On defense, UCSB led the match at the net with 21 total blocks with Elizabeth Sheffield setting the match-high at eight. Outside hitter Ali Barbeau scooped up 12 of the Gauchos’ 49 digs, as she was followed by libero Sydney Bast with 10.
The first game set the tone for the match, as UCSB was able to edge out LMU 25-23. With both teams swapping points through most of the game, the Lions took a 16-13 lead – then the largest advantage of the set – following a 3-0 run. Unfazed, the Gauchos were quick to respond with three unanswered points of their own, as Hoffman dealt a pair of aces following a Lion service error.
After those runs, the see-saw battle continued until the score was knotted up at 22-22. With neither team showing budging, it was Sheffield who gave UCSB momentum for a 3-1 finish with a kill slammed through the heart of LMU’s side of the court. The Lions then misplayed a free ball sent over by Bast to give the Gauchos a 24-22 lead.
But after they registered a kill following a timeout, Barbeau put an end to the set with a sly kill delivered on a sharp angle.
The Lions provided a strong with response with a 25-14 victory in the second to tie the match, but the Gauchos came back with authority following the break.
UCSB opened the third with three unanswered points and continued on to create an imposing 11-3 advantage. Phoebe Grunt tacked on UCSB’s first point of the game with a kill, while Hoffman and Britton Taylor swing for two kills a piece in the scoring spree.
The Gauchos managed to maintain a strong lead through most of the game, but LMU threatened with a 5-1 run that moved the score 23-20. By then though, it was too late for the Lions, as a Barbeau kill and a Grunt solo block sealed the 25-22 win for Santa Barbara.
The fourth set featured another contentious battle between the teams. LMU were able to grab a 13-8 lead early on, but the Gauchos answered back with four straight points to get within one. From that point, the lead was never more than one point until the Lions snapped a 22-22 tie with a kill and forcing an attacking error. Though Hoffman kept the Gauchos alive in the game with a kill to move the score to 24-23, LMU wrapped up the game with a scoring attack from Sarah Sponcil.
In the fifth and final game, UCSB held an early lead of 9-5, as Jaylen Villanueva delivered the team’s first three points off kills. LMU shrugged off the early deficit and took a lead at 11-10. The Gauchos then called a timeout and came back with three unanswered points with Villanueva again delivering a kill.
However, the Lions were able to take hold of the late-match momentum with four kills in a 5-1 run, end the game at 16-14.
UCSB will conclude weekend play tomorrow at 4 p.m. when they host San Diego State.
