May 20, 2021 at 6:36 am by Preston Espar
Even with a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Hawaiâi in the NCAA Tournament semifinals that saw their incredible run come to an end, the UC Santa Barbara menâs volleyball team had a year to remember, as they had one of the most successful seasons in program history as winners of the Big West Championship for the first time in school history.Â
The Gauchos finished the regular season holding the No. 2 seed in the Big West rankings with a 13-4 record, while only losing three conference games the entire season. UCSB continued their success into the postseason, defeating Long Beach State and UC San Diego en route to the Big West Championship. The Gauchos had one more victory in the tank as they defeated Pepperdine 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to their conference rival and eventual NCAA champion Hawaiâi. Â
KSL TV
PROVO In its first match since clinching the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title April 24, BYU men s volleyball wasted little time putting MIVA champion Lewis on its heels.
The third-ranked Flyers wasted little time counter-punching No. 2 BYU.
Then, Gabi Garcia Fernandez wasted little time doing Gabi Garcia Fernandez things.
With hitting for speed, power, or simply touch, the Puerto Rican international was too much for the best of the midwest.
Garcia Fernandez poured in 17 kills, seven digs, two aces and two blocks, and BYU held the Flyers below .300 hitting en route to a 25-22, 25-15, 26-28, 25-20 Thursday in the NCAA Tournament semifinals at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.
April 18, 2021 at 5:44 pm by Preston Espar
The UC Santa Barbara menâs volleyball team extended their winning streak to seven games as they took the first two matches of a three-game set against the UC San Diego Tritons 3-2 and 3-0, respectively. These matches were held last Wednesday and Thursday in San Diego and the Gauchos will look to complete the series sweep at the Thunderdome this Saturday to finish off the regular season.Â
This away sweep by the Gauchos shows both teamsâ direction as the two programs look to prepare for the Big West Tournament. The Gauchos, the No. 18 team in the country, improved to 12-4 with the two victories, while the Tritons have lost their fourth straight and stands at 3-11.Â
Housing and Development Newsletter
Ryan Wilcox led the team with nine total digs and an outstanding five aces to go along with his double-digit kill performance of 11. Casey McGarry paced the team with 45 assists.
With their backs against the wall, the Gauchos rose to occasion in the fourth set. Despite getting out-hit by the Tritons, UCSB used four aces to extend its turn at the service line and build quick runs in the early going. In a blink the nation s third-ranked team was up 9-4 with back-to-back aces by Wilcox drawing a Triton timeout. Bouncing back was the host team, which ended up with a late 21-18 lead, just four points away from the match win.