UC Santa Barbara Women’s Volleyball Falls Short in Home Match Against No. 2–Ranked Stanford

The UC Santa Barbara women’s volleyball team stood toe-to-toe with No. 2–ranked Stanford, but couldn’t pull off the massive upset and suffered a 25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 25-15 loss on Tuesday night at the Thunderdome.

The Gauchos embraced the opportunity to host Stanford in their home opener and proved they had the ability to compete with one of the best teams in the nation.

“I’m proud of the team tonight for taking a set off the No. 2 team in the country,” said UC Santa Barbara Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Matt Jones. “I do think that matters, especially in our first home match. It’s something that we can build off of.”

Stanford asserted itself early in set one and took a 9-3 lead on a kill by middle blocker Sami Francis, which prompted a UC Santa Barbara timeout. However, the Gauchos quickly gained their footing and mounted a 6-3 run capped off by an Eva Travis kill that cut the deficit to 12-9.

Travis got off to a fast start with five kills on a .500 hitting percentage in set one. She finished tied for the match-high with 13 kills overall.

“I think our mentality going in was that they have something to lose and we don’t so just go out there, have fun and play loose,” said Travis, who has flourished as a redshirt freshman in the starting lineup.

The visiting Cardinal regained control and took a 24-17 lead in set one after back-to-back nasty aces by Ipar Kurt. 

With their backs against the wall, the Gauchos dug in defensively and reeled off five straight points and climbed to within 24-22 when Stanford’s Lizzy Andrew hit into the net. However, Jordyn Harvey went on to clinch the set for Stanford with a hard spike, 25-22.

Set two unfolded in much the same manner as set one, except the Gauchos couldn’t muster the same heroics late.

In set three, UC Santa Barbara managed to avoid the slow start and remained within three points of Stanford throughout.

An ace by Sophie Reavis tied the score at 19 apiece, and the Gauchos took a 21-20 lead when Stanford hit long. Another Reavis ace was sandwiched between two UC Santa Barbara team blocks that put the Gauchos ahead 24-21. 

UC Santa Barbara clinched the third set and avoided the sweep when Stanford hit long.

Unfortunately for the Gauchos, the celebration was short-lived as Stanford pulled away midway through set four. A solo block by Elia Rubin put the Cardinal ahead 19-14.

Stanford clinched the fourth set and the match 25-15 on an ace serve by Harvey that lipped over the net.

With the loss, UC Santa Barbara drops to 2-5 overall this season and Stanford improves to 5-0. The Gauchos will travel to the Pepperdine Invitational this weekend, where they will take on Omaha on Friday and No. 1–ranked Pittsburgh on Saturday.