SANTA BARBARA -- After defeating UC Santa Barbara one day ago, the BYU men's volleyball team gave up just their fourth loss of the season to the homestanding Gauchos in four sets (21-25, 23-25, 22-25).

The Cougars are now 11-4 overall and 7-3 in MPSF action, and will return home to the Smith Fieldhouse on Feb. 25 and 25 to take on UC San Diego.

In the second night against the Gauchos, senior Kevin Sagers recorded a new season high with seven digs and BYU totaled 10 team blocks compared to UCSB's 6.5.

All three sets remained close throughout play but the Gauchos were eventually led to victory by Cullen Irons who tallied 18 kills to lead all players.

Two more road matches are on the docket this weekend for the No. 2 BYU men's volleyball team as they take on UC Santa Barbara in California on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 17 and 18, at 7 p.m. PT.

The Cougars are traveling on a 10-3 overall record with Junior Robb Stowell leading the Cougar attack on 179 kills this season and an overall .359 hitting percentage. Stowell was also recently named MPSF Player of the Week for the week of February 7.

Freshman Taylor Sander follows closely with 129 kills and a .309 attack. Setter Joe Kauliakamoa has recorded 406 assists this season as he paces the Cougar offense, averaging 9.67 per set.

The fourth-ranked UC Santa Barbara Gauchos will host the Cougars with an 8-5 overall record and are currently fifth in the MPSF rankings, behind BYU’s second-place standing.

Jeff Menzel and Cullen Irons lead the Gauchos, and have recorded 173 and 167 kills, respectively, this season while hitting .334 and .298, respectively.

The Cougars lead the overall series against UCSB 25-18.

BYU split their last weekend outing with a sweep win over No. 14 Lewis and a loss to Loyola-Chicago. In the two matches, senior Kevin Sagers recorded 20 kills for his first back-to-back double-digit kill performance and a .324 combined hitting percentage.

The Bruins are coming off a sweep weekend against the UCLA Bruins with a 3-1 match score on both Wednesday and Friday night.

Home matches in the Smith Fieldhouse resume on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 24 and 25, when the Cougars take on UC San Diego.