Women’s Volleyball Set To Travel To Tritons, Host The Beach – University of California, Santa Barbara

SAN DIEGO – The UC Santa Barbara Women’s Volleyball team (8-12) will hit the road on Thursday to take on the Tritons before returning to the Thunderdome on Saturday for a match with Long Beach State.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos went 1-1 last week taking a trip to Cal Poly and hosting Hawai’i. Despite the loss to the Mustangs, Sophie Reavis finished the match tied for the most kills while serving as the most efficient hitter with a .391 clip. 
 
The Blue and Gold dominated in the Thunderdome on Saturday night taking down the Rainbow Wahine in straight sets. Eva Travis earned another double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs while also adding on three blocks, two of which were solo blocks. Cortni Youngblood anchored the back row with a match-high 15 digs.
 
TRAVERSING THE TRITONS
UC San Diego comes into this week 5-3 in conference and 11-8 overall. A four-set win against Fullerton and forcing a five-set win over UC Irvine brings their win streak to four. 
 
The Tritons are No. 2 in The Big West and No. 48 nationally for total team blocks on the season coming in at 178. They are also a force from the service line as they have put up 128 as a team this season, the second-best number in the conference. 
 
Emily McDaniel leads the team’s front row defense and is second in the conference for blocks per set. She has put up 70 total blocks on the season and will certainly be a force the Gauchos will need to break through. 
 
Outside Hitter Ava McInnes has led the offense in kills this season coming in at ninth in The Big West averaging 3.04 per set. 
 
Paulina Baillie rounds out the Triton back row with 258 total digs so far this season. 
 
BATTLING THE BEACH
Long Beach had a dominant start to Big West play only taking their second loss of Big West play to UC Irvine on Thursday. After their sixth conference victory over Fullerton on Saturday, their record sits at 6-2 in the Big West and 12-6 overall. 
 
The Beach lead The Big West on defense as they hold their opponents to a .157 hitting percentage. They also come in at No. 2 for blocks per set. This rate is led by Kameron Bacon who ranks 45th in the nation and No. 1 in The Big West in blocks, averaging 1.28 per set. 
 
On offense, Ella Lomigora has hit a .349 clip this season to rank third in the conference. The offensive power is furthered by Natalie Glenn who averages 3.09 kills per set and is ranked third in the conference for service aces. 
 
Long Beach State will face Cal Poly on Thursday ahead of their arrival to the Thunderdome. 
 
WHEREABOUTS
The Gauchos and the Tritons will appear in LionTree Arena with first serve at 6 p.m. Saturday’s match against the Beach in the Thunderdome also begins at 7 p.m. with both matches available on ESPN+.