The UC Santa Barbara men’s volleyball team closed out the final round of the 61st ASICS Invitational with a 3-1 victory over Harvard University last Saturday.

Courtesy of UCSB Athletics

UCSB has hosted the three-day ASICS Invitational tournament since 1965, with the exception of 2021’s cancellation. This year, the Gauchos welcomed five teams, including UC Irvine; California State University, Northridge; Kentucky State University; Maryville University and of course, Harvard. Currently, the Gauchos remain undefeated this season after also outplaying Kentucky State last Thursday with a 3-0 victory, as well as Maryville last weekend with a score of 3-1.

Santa Barbara started off with a bleak first set, as Harvard opened the gate with a 25-22 victory. Their celebration, however, was short-lived, as the Gauchos nearly drew level with Harvard during the second set before bringing it home with a 6-point scoring run that secured them a second-set victory of 25-18. Their hitting percentage improved remarkably from the first set, rising to 57%, and remained consistent throughout the rest of the match.

The Gauchos entered the third set confident and motivated with a 7-2 head start, and maintained at least a 3-point difference throughout the set. Senior outside hitter Owen Loncar’s service ace won them the set with a score of 25-14.

The Gauchos managed to secure the fourth and final set 25-19, barely trailing ahead of the Crimson before springing ahead toward the end. Notably, sophomore outside hitter George Bruening scored 10 kills in the last set alone, tying his career record in kills. Freshman middle blocker Dylan Pilkvist also led the team in block assists with 5, and sophomore outside hitter Riggs Guy got a career-best 6 assists.

The Gauchos will host their next match this Friday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. against The Master’s University in the Thunderdome.