Courtesy of UCSB Athletics

UC Santa Barbara Women’s Volleyball hosted the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Rainbow Warriors Saturday night and won in dominant fashion, leading much of the contest and winning all 3 sets.

It was a much-needed win for UCSB, who were coming off two losses to conference rivals UC Irvine and California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. Hawai‘i, on the other hand, were poised to continue winning habits after strong victories over UC Irvine and the same Cal Poly team that overpowered Santa Barbara 3-0. The Gauchos opened scoring for the evening with a leaping spike by freshman outside hitter Emma McDermott. Hawai‘i and UCSB traded scores back and forth before the Gauchos jumped out to a 17-11 score from Rainbow Warriors’ errors and kills by junior outside hitter Sophie Reavis and senior middle blocker Andi Kreiling, respectively. The two teams would exchange rallies and errors before UCSB would cap off the set with kills by Reavis and McDermott, as the period ended with a score of 25-18 favoring the home team. 

Hawai‘i responded with two kills to open the second set, both coming from outside hitter Caylen Alexander. UCSB would pull the plug on their opponent’s newfound momentum with a kill and an ace by Reavis alongside a block by freshman outside hitter Eva Travis. Both teams went on to trade scores in a back-and-forth fashion, and UCSB would find themselves with a 22-14 lead after a stifling block by junior middle blocker Grace Wuischpard. The Gauchos closed the set before the Rainbow Warriors could surmount a comeback, with a kill by Kreiling and set score of 25-19.

Despite having overwhelming momentum after a strong 2-0 start, the final set would be just as competitive as the last 2, as Hawai‘i fought to keep their win streak alive. 3 straight Gaucho kills from Reavis, Kreiling and McDermott would cement a 20-16 UCSB lead, and the final set came to an end with a group-effort block from Travis, Wuischpard and junior middle blocker Layanna Green. UCSB’s smothering defensive play was met with cheers from an exhilarated university crowd, along with hope for the team to use this momentum through the group’s 10 remaining conference games.

Outside hitters Reavis, Travis and McDermott tied for first amongst Gauchos in kills at 10 apiece, all providing meaningful attacks for UCSB. Reavis also led the game in aces with 3, pushing her total on the year to 25. Freshman setter Harper Hall contributed 21 assists, leading the Gauchos on the evening and continuing her impressive debut collegiate season. Freshman defensive specialist Cortni Youngblood delivered a game-high 15 digs, as she helped the Gauchos recover several plays en route to their victory. 

UCSB Women’s Volleyball will face the UC San Diego Tritons on the road this Thursday Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. with streaming available on ESPN+.

A version of this article appeared in the Oct. 24 print edition of the Daily Nexus.