Men’s Volleyball celebrates Senior Night, recognizing libero Joe Wallace and other seniors. Courtesy of UCSB Men’s Volleyball.

No. 9 UC Santa Barbara men’s volleyball took on No.3 California State University, Long Beach in back-to-back matches Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11.  

Ending the weekend with a 4-5 record in the Big West Conference, the Gauchos faced the Beach, who hold a current 6-2 record.

The Gauchos celebrated senior night during their final home match on Saturday, April 11. Falling to the Beach on Friday and Saturday night, the Gauchos went 0-3 in both matches.

April 10: On Friday night, the Gauchos started confidently during the first set with a 2-0 lead against the Beach. After exchanging points, the Beach began to pull away with a 5-point lead at 12-7. Trailing 20-16, the Gauchos fought back with a kill by sophomore outside hitter Riggs Guy. Important kills by junior middle blocker Josh Aruya, freshman middle blocker Mikey Denver and Guy helped narrow the gap between the Beach, who led 23-17. The Gauchos were unable to obtain a victory, losing the first set 20-25. 

Starting strong, the Beach used their momentum in the second set with a 10-5 lead. Ahead for the rest of the set, the Beach won 25-19. Notably, junior setter Cole Schobel and Guy both reached their set highs for the match during the second set, with Guy reaching 4 kills and Schobel 10 assists.

During the third and last set of the night, the Gauchos persevered and tied the Beach at 4-4. The Beach then took the momentum with a 4-point streak, leading 13-8. Kills by Aruya and sophomore outside hitter Ethan Saint attempted to break the Beach’s domination, fighting with their own 5-point streak and gaining close to a tie at 15-17 and even closer at 19-20. Once more unable to gain the lead, the Beach won 25-20.

April 11: On Saturday night, the Gauchos celebrated their final home match of the season. Seniors Joe Wallace, Andreas Schuetz, Ben Pearson and Owen Loncar were recognized. Hoping for redemption, the Gauchos took on Long Beach for the second night in a row. 

The Beach triumphed in the first set 25-13, their biggest lead from both Friday and Saturday night. The Gauchos’ only hope during this set was 3 kills by Aruya.

Yet, the Gauchos fought back, leading the second set 2-0 with back-to-back kills by Aruya and Guy. The Gauchos traded points with the Beach until 14-14, but were unable to edge ahead, with the Beach collecting another set at 25-20.

During the final set, the Gauchos reignited their offense, establishing multiple ties. After their final tie at 12-12, the Gauchos were unable to regain momentum for the rest of the set. The Beach secured the win with the closest set of both nights at 25-21.

Notably senior outside hitter Owen Loncar was efficient during the match with three kills with a .600 kill percentage. Guy was perfect with 3-for-3 kills, and Aruya contributed with three out of four on kills. 

These losses dropped the Gauchos from No. 8 to No. 9 in the Big West Conference. 

The Gauchos will play their last regular-season game at No. 11 UC San Diego on April 16 at 6 p.m. UC Santa Barbara beat UC San Diego earlier this season 3-2; the Tritons hold a current record of 3-6.