No. 3 BYU loses second match against No. 9 UCSB

SANTA BARBARA, Calif — No. 3 BYU men’s volleyball dropped the second match of a back-to-back series at No. 9 UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, falling in three sets (25-15, 25-16, 27-25) at Robertson Gymnasium.

BYU vs. UCSB Final Box Score

Gabi Garcia Fernandez led the Cougars with 13 kills and six digs on the night. Felipe de Brito Ferreira followed with eight kills on a .727 hitting percentage. Thirteen Cougars saw action in Saturday’s match, the most in any match this season.  

The Gauchos jumped out to a 10-7 lead in the first set, with seven kills on a solid .455 hitting percentage early. UCSB continued its hot streak, increasing the lead to 19-10 as the team’s hitting percentage rose to over .500. Despite two service aces from Andrew Lincoln late in the set, the Cougars fell behind with a 25-15 loss in the opening set.

UCSB got another quick start with a 10-6 lead in the second set, crossing the 20-kill mark while maintaining a .400 hitting percentage or higher. UCSB’s Ryan Wilcox got his 10th kill of the match as the Gauchos extended their lead to 20-12 in the second set. The UCSB offense was firing on all cylinders, with a 28-14 advantage in kills, 26 assists and six service aces after a 25-16 second set victory.

BYU brought on freshman outside hitter Kana’i Akana to try and make a difference in the third set, and his energy combined with improved hitting from Garcia Fernandez and de Brito Ferreira allowed the Cougars to take a 13-11 lead. Garcia Fernandez reached double-digit kills as the Cougars extended their lead to 20-15, their largest of the match. The Gauchos came back to tie the match at 25, however, and an ace and a kill gave them the sweep over the Cougars, 27-25.

BYU falls to 4-2 on the season, with conference play in the MPSF beginning Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. PST at Pepperdine. Links for live stats and streaming can be found on the schedule page.