UCSB men’s volleyball falls to Long Beach in five sets

By ERIC BOOSE

UCSB SPORTS

Owen Birg recorded a careerhigh 25 kills, Ryan Wilcox added a 20-point, 17-dig double-double, and Jack Walmer provided a career-high 58 assists Saturday night as the UC Santa Barbara Men’s Volleyball team (4-11, 12 Big West) pushed No. 4 Long Beach State (11-2, 2-0 Big West) all the way to five sets Saturday night. Despite their impressive performance, the Gauchos dropped the fifth set to fall, 3-2 (25-21, 18-25, 20-25, 25-22, 11-15).

HOW IT HAPPENED

Like they did Friday night in Santa Barbara, the Gauchos came out strong in the first set, putting together a scoring run in the middle of the frame and another in the closing stages to pull away and win by four points. UCSB hit .366 in the opening set, recording 19 kills in the frame. They were also near-unbeatable on defense, digging 16 of the Beach’s 38 attacks.

While the Gauchos kept pushing Long Beach State in the second and third sets, the hosts won both by comfortable margins. Needing a win to keep the match alive, UCSB seized the momentum back in the fourth set. The Gauchos were deadly accurate in attack, hitting .452 in the set en route to a 25-22 win.

In the decisive fifth set, UCSB matched the Beach blow-for-blow, except for one four-point scoring run early in the frame, which proved enough for the hosts to hold on and take the match.

ON THE STAT SHEET

• Three Gauchos finished with double-digit kills Saturday; Owen Birg led everyone with 25, followed by Ryan Wilcox’s 20, with Dayne Chalmers adding 10 of his own.

• Birg and Wilcox both finished with double-doubles (kills and digs): 25 and 10 for Birg, 20 and 17 for Wilcox.

• Jack Walmer added a doubledouble of his own, tallying 11 digs along with his career-high 58 assists.

• Wilcox’s 17 digs were a game high but not a career high; the senior from Honolulu had 18 in a match against on March 10, 2021, also against Long Beach State.

UCSB softball split on first day of Bulldog Classic

By ERIC BOOSE UCSB SPORTS

Ashley Donaldson went 4-6 with a home run, a triple, and three RBI across UCSB softball’s first two games at the Bulldog Classic in Fresno, helping the Gauchos (11-8) to a 4-1 win over Fresno State following a 5-3 loss to Utah Tech (15-6) earlier in the day.

GAME 1: GAUCHOS v S TRAILBLAZERS

UCSB got on the board early in their first game of the day, with lead-off hitter Madelyn McNally benefitting from an error in the field after her single, scampering all the way home to score. Utah

Tech tied the game in the second inning, but Donaldson un-tied it in the fourth with her second career home run. The junior catcher drove home another UCSB run in the sixth, but by that time Utah Tech had the lead for good.

Malaya Johnson went 5.2 innings in the circle against the Trailblazers, with Ilona Sullivan relieving her in the sixth. Sullivan struck out three of the seven batters she faced Saturday afternoon.

GAME 2: GAUCHOS v S BULLDOGS

Facing the hosts in the final game of the day, Donaldson and the Gauchos were on the board in the first inning again. Singles from McNally and Jazzy Santos gave Donaldson runners on first and second, and the catcher kept the hits coming with a single of her own to drive in McNally. The Gauchos added runs in the fourth and seventh thanks to some Fresno State mistakes, then McNally capped the scoring with an RBI double in the seventh. Camryn Snyder worked another great game in the circle for UCSB, scattering four hits and four walks across her seven innings, allowing just one run and striking out four. Eric Boose is assistant director of athletic communications at UCSB. email: sports@newspress.com