UC Irvine

Next Match:

at UC Irvine

3/11/2026 | 6 p.m.


Mar. 11 (Wed) / 6 p.m.


at UC Irvine

History

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The No. 12 UC Santa Barbara Men’s Volleyball team took down No. 11 UC San Diego Friday night for their fourth ranked win of the season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Gauchos had a 4-1 lead to start the first, but San Diego swung the pendulum back to their lead at 8-6. Santa Barbara tied it at 10-10 then proceeded with a subtle lead through 18-17. Though it was tied at 20-20, the Gauchos pushed to 23-20. It was setter Cole Schobel who delivered the winning point, skipping a set and slam dunking a point to bring the Gauchos to victory. Ethan Saint had 4 kills off 8 attempts and hit .500.

San Diego turned it around in the second, clinching it 25-21. The Tritons led up to 15-15, where the Gauchos equalized. A back-and-forth led to another 20-20 tie, after which San Diego sped ahead and tallied the final points. 

UCSD also won the third set 25-21. The Gauchos were off to a strong start, shaping an early 8-3 lead. They continued, putting down multiple seven-point leads at 13-7 and 16-9. The Tritons trekked their way back, however, and managed to tie it by 18-18. Another 20-20 tie ensued, and once again San Diego beat the Gauchos to 25. 

Facing elimination, the Gauchos buckled down in the fourth. They decidedly won it 25-20 after leading for the majority of the set. Assisted by three straight aces from Dylan Pilkvist, Santa Barbara took a strong heading at 14-7. They carried on, staying several points ahead until the Tritons nearly caught them at 22-20. But it was the Gauchos’ set, and Riggs Guy decided it with an ace. 

San Diego reached a concerning 4-1 lead to start the fifth, but a couple Triton errors and a kill by George Bruening tied it 4-4. After another fraught tie at 6-6, the Gauchos inched ahead. An ace by Bruening got them a two-point 8-6 lead, then Schobel tacked on another kill at 9-7. Saint laid down two back-to-back aces, and the Gauchos were up 11-7. A San Diego error, Guy kill, Gaucho block, and Bruening kill composed the win for Santa Barbara, 15-11. The Gauchos defeated the Tritons for the first time since 2024.  

George Bruening battered 18 kills to lead the match and hit .353. Two more Gauchos reached double digits in kills, with Ethan Saint nailing 12 and Riggs Guy 10. Guy also led the team in digs with 8 and aces with an elevated five. Mikey Denver led the blocks with five. 

Schobel made a shocking seven kills off of just ten attempts to hit .650. He also collected 40 assists. 

UP NEXT

The Gauchos face UC Irvine for a pair of matches, first seeing them away on Wednesday, March 11 at 6:00 p.m. The teams will compete in The Thunderdome at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m.