The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team swept CSUN in their first of two home matches this weekend, Friday night. The Gauchos were led by Eva Travis' 13 kill, 10 dig double-double.
"It was nice to see us bounce back pretty quickly after our slow start," said UCSB head coach Matt Jones. "I thought we served well and got them out of system quite a bit which allowed our defense to work.
"We had some nice offensive performances by Grace (Wuischpard) and Eva (Travis), but now we have to take care of business tomorrow."
The first set of the volleyball match between UC Santa Barbara and CSUN saw a strong start from the Matadors, who quickly gained a 6-0 lead, capitalizing on kills and errors by Santa Barbara.
The Gauchos responded with a series of service aces and kills, narrowing the gap and eventually tying the game at 13-13.
The Blue and Gold gained momentum with a five-point streak, overcoming Northridge's late rally attempts to secure the set with a final score of 25-22. Eva Travis played a key role in the comeback with decisive kills towards the end of the set.
The second set of the match was closely contested, with several shifts in momentum. The Gauchos took an early lead at 4-2, and despite Northridge's efforts to level the score multiple times, UC Santa Barbara maintained a slight edge.
Notable streaks included Santa Barbara's three-point run from 5-5 to 8-5, aided by a service ace from Harper Hall and kills by Emma McDermott and Grace Wuischpard.
Northridge fought back to tie the game at various points, including at 12-12 and 21-21, but the Gauchos ultimately secured a narrow 25-23 victory, with Travis sealing the set with a final kill.
In the third set, UC Santa Barbara secured a 25-19 victory over Northridge. The set featured a back-and-forth exchange of points until a decisive run by the Blue and Gold.
Key contributions included a series of kills by Eva Travis, Grace Wuischpard, and Layanna Green, helping UCSB pull ahead with a streak of six consecutive points from 13-13 to 19-13.
Northridge attempted a comeback with a three-point run, but Santa Barbara maintained their lead to close out the set.
Eva Travis had one of the best performances for UC Santa Barbara tonight. She was the only Gaucho to earn double-digit kills as she notched 13. Along with that, she helped the team on defense with 10 digs.
Layanna Green was a wall at the net all night, recording six block assists.
As a team the Gauchos hit an impressive .339, their second-highest percentage this season.
UC Santa Barbara will welcome Cal State Bakersfield to The Thunderdome tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 9. First serve between the Gauchos and Roadrunners will be at 7 p.m.
For those who can't make it to Santa Barbara, they can watch from home on ESPN+.