No. 13 BYU falls 3-0 to No. 6 UC Santa Barbara on the road

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — No. 13 BYU fell in a clean sweep to No. 6 UC Santa Barbara on Friday in the Robertson Gymnasium (21-25, 18-25, 23-25), putting the Cougars on a four-match losing streak. 

BYU now holds a 5-6 overall record this season, including an 0-3 record on the road. 

Offensively, the Gauchos racked up 36 kills and a .253 hitting percentage, compared to BYU’s 31 kills and .150 clip. The Cougars tallied 19 attack errors and 14 service errors to give UCSB an edge. Additionally, UCSB outblocked BYU 11-4.

UCSB’s junior outside hitter Ryan Wilcox and an Off the Block Preseason All-America Second Team member, led the match with 11 kills and a .250 clip. For the Cougars, senior outside hitter Davide Gardini tallied eight kills and a .190 clip.

SET ONE
The Gauchos started the set with a 2-0 lead after a kill by UCSB’s Dayne Chalmers. Two kills by Gardini put the Cougars on the board, trailing 4-3. The teams traded errors, allowing UCSB to keep a slight edge. Sophomore middle blocker Gavin Julien contributed three quick kills, but two BYU service errors maintained UCSB’s 13-10 lead.

Two kills apiece by freshman outside hitter Miks Ramanis and freshman opposite hitter Anthony Cherfan nearly tied the match, getting to 17-16. A UCSB service error and another Cherfan kill tied the set for the first time at 18-18.

Five detrimental BYU attack errors extended the Gauchos lead to 25-21, taking the first set-win. UCSB managed a .250 hitting percentage compared to BYU’s .176.

SET TWO
BYU started off with a 2-1 lead after Cherfan’s fifth kill of the night and an ace by Ramanis. A service error by the Cougars paired with an ace and a kill by UCSB’s Dain Johnson allowed the Gauchos to take the lead at 4-3. A block by Julien and Cherfan tied the match. 

This started a kill streak on both sides, including two by Gardini and Ramanis. However, another two BYU errors created the largest margin of the set at 11-6. Freshman outside hitter Luke Benson made an appearance and laid down a quick kill. Wilcox then answered with three kills, tallying eight for the match. 

A 5-0 run by UCSB, including two aces by Rees Barnett and two kills by Donovan Todorov, widened the gap to 21-14. Two more kills and two BYU errors secured the Gauchos their second set-win at 25-18.

SET THREE
UCSB began the set with a 3-0 lead, including two BYU errors. Senior opposite hitter Alex Ah Sue tallied a kill and started the Cougars on a 3-0 run to tie the match. The teams tied three more times until UCSB pulled away at 10-7 with two kills. BYU battled back with a 4-0 run, thanks to an ace by Gardini and a kill by freshman middle blocker Alessandro Gianotti. This put BYU in the lead at 11-10.

The Gauchos matched BYU’s run, putting up four consecutive points, now leading 14-11. The teams traded errors and kills, until a 3-0 run by BYU stopped UCSB’s momentum at 20-17. The run featured a kill and an ace by Julien. Sophomore setter Zeo Meyer followed Julien, putting up his own ace and kill. 

Three momentum-shifting errors by UCSB diminished its lead and tied the match at 22-22, giving BYU a chance. A killing spree commenced, but ultimately BYU’s 14th service error sealed the sweep for UCSB at 25-23.

Up next, BYU will have another chance to face UCSB on Saturday, Feb. 19 in the Robertson Gymnasium at 7 p.m. PST.