Box Score IRVINE, Calif. – UC Santa Barbara served tough and swept UC Irvine (25-22, 25-18, 25-21) at the Bren Events Center Saturday.
For the 17th time this season, Victoria Dennis led UCI (10-16, 5-7) with eight kills. Loryn Carter totaled seven kills, while Harlee Kekauoha and Danielle Geiger each added six kills. Kekauoha, the league leader in aces, fired three aces. Luna Tsujimoto recorded a match-high 22 digs and Shelley Anderson tallied 27 set assists and 12 digs.
UCI led the Gauchos in blocks, 6-5, the fifth consecutive match the Anteaters have out-blocked its opponent.
Orange County native Lindsay Ruddins had a nice homecoming with a match-high 15 kills and eight aces. Elizabeth Sheffield had nine kills followed by Megan Rice with eight and Phoebe Grunt with seven kills. Emilia Petrachi had 20 digs. UCSB improves to 16-9 on the season and 7-5 in conference matches.
Back-to-back aces helped UCSB to a 14-9 lead in the first set. A kill by Danielle Geiger and a Gaucho attack error put the pressure on 24-22, but a UCI attack error followed giving UC Santa Barbara the 25-22 victory.
Once again in the second set a pair of aces made the difference with the Gauchos opening a 14-11 lead. UCI scored the next two before UCSB went on a 4-0 run to extend the lead to 19-13. A kill by Lindsey Ruddins ended the set 25-18 for the Gauchos.
The seventh and eighth service aces by Ruddins gave UCSB the 16-11 lead in the third. UCI would get no closer than three points the rest of the way as the Gauchos closed out the set 25-21 to complete the sweep.
UCI will take on Big West leader Hawaii Thursday (Nov. 10) at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Events Center.
