{"id":491839,"date":"2026-10-10T19:32:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T19:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/491839\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T19:32:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T19:32:17","slug":"womens-volleyball-takes-down-uc-santa-barbara-in-four-sets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/491839\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Volleyball Takes Down UC Santa Barbara In Four Sets"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONG BEACH, Calif. \u2013 Long Beach State earned a four-set win over UC Santa Barbara Friday night, handing the Gauchos their first defeat in Big West Conference play. The Beach turned things around after dropping the opening set on the strength of standout performances all over the floor in the 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-18 victory.
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\nSophomore Sidney Hamaker<\/a> led the way with a match-high 14 kills and 5 aces, while junior Madi Maxwell<\/a> impacted the match individually with 7 blocks, 5 kills, 17 digs while orchestrating the LBSU offense with 30 assists.
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\nLong Beach State middles Pola Bujnarowska<\/a> and Reagan Hope<\/a> combined for 18 kills, with Bujnarowska posting 10 kills on .615 hitting with 3 blocks while Hope notched 8 kills and 5 blocks. Sophomore libero Anna Jelinek<\/a> helped spearhead the defensive effort with 11 digs.
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\nLong Beach State (12-3, 4-1 Big West) was firing on all cylinders early in the opening set, jumping out to an early 10-6 lead behind 3 early kills from Reagan Hope<\/a>. However, UC Santa Barbara (8-8, 4-1 Big West)\u00a0scored 5 consecutive points in succession 3 separate times, combining for a 15-3 run that gave the Gauchos a 21-13 edge. Hamaker served a pair of aces and Kinga Ziolkowska<\/a> added another, leading a 10-3 run that pulled the Beach within a point, 24-23. Gabi Martinez notched her fourth kill of the opening set to score the decisive point for UC Santa Barbara in the 25-23 win.
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\nThe Beach hit .357 in the second set with a balanced offense, as five different players registered at least 2 kills in the set. Hope led the way with 3 kills on just 4 swings, and she had a hand in 2 of LBSU’s 3 blocks in the set.
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\nAfter falling behind early, 5-2, Long Beach State responded with a 10-3 run punctuated by a Kendal Murphy<\/a> service ace that gave the Beach a 13-8 advantage. UC Santa Barbara pulled within a point, 14-13, after Gabi Martinez scored the next 5 Gaucho points on 4 kills and an ace, Hamaker answered with a kill to spark a 5-0 run as LBSU took control for good in a 25-18 win.
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\nNeither team scored more than 3 consecutive points early in the third set until Long Beach State reeled off 4 straight, turning a 13-12 lead into a more comfortable 17-12 margin. Junior Pola Bujnarowska<\/a> collected 2 kills and 2 blocks the rest of the way, helping LBSU secure a 25-19 win.
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\nLaurel Barsocchini<\/a> opened the fourth set with an ace, the sixth of the match for Long Beach State, which jumped out to a 13-6 lead. UC Santa Barbara never got closer than 5 points the rest of the way, as Hamaker and Bujnarowska took over to close out the victory. Hamaker put down back-to-back kills to give the Beach a 16-9 edge, and she added her fifth ace of the match to make it 18-11. Bujnarowska teamed up with Maxwell for a block that made it 21-13, and she collected her 10th kill of the match for a 23-16 edge. Hamaker did the rest, teaming up with sophomore Preslie Yates<\/a> for a block that made it 24-16 and the match-clinching kill for the 25-18 set victory.
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\nLong Beach State is back in action to host conference leaders Cal Poly on October 10. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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