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.

PROVO, Utah — No. 3 BYU men’s volleyball travels to California this week for back-to-back matches against No. 9 UC Santa Barbara Friday, Feb. 1 and Saturday, Feb. 2 at Robertson Gymnasium.

Week Four Match Notes

No. 3 BYU (4-0)

• The Cougars are coming off of a bye week after two road victories in Pennsylvania over Penn State (3-2) and Saint Francis (3-0) the week before.

• BYU currently sits in first place in the MPSF conference standings with a perfect 4-0 record. The team ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage and blocks.

• Sophomore opposite hitter Gabi Garcia Fernandez had a career-high 27 kills in a five-set thriller over Penn State on Jan. 18, and leads the MPSF in kills and points.

• Freshman outside hitter Davide Gardini had a career-high four service aces in the Cougars’ sweep over Saint Francis on Jan. 19, and sits in second place in the MPSF in aces with .50 per set.

No. 9 UC Santa Barbara (7-3)

• The Gauchos are currently riding a four-match win streak with victories over three ranked teams in No. 7 Loyola Chicago, No. 10 Lewis and No. 11 Ball State.

• UCSB is averaging 11.88 kills per set on a .317 hitting percentage, led by senior outside hitter Corey Chavers, who is averaging 3.52 kills per set at a .342 clip.

• Freshman middle blocker Brandon Hicks leads the team in total blocks with 29 and is averaging 1.16 blocks per set over his 25 sets played.

• BYU leads the all-time series against UCSB 42-22, and the Cougars have won eight of the last 10 meetings.

Links for live stats and streaming can be found on the men's volleyball schedule page.