In a nail-biting third set, opposite Ido David delivered a clutch ace, winning the set 26-24 for UCLA and igniting Pauley Pavilion. This shifted the momentum of the match and gave the Bruins the edge they needed, fueling them to a gritty fourth-set win over the Gauchos. UCLA’s win streak has been extended to three and the Bruins continued to prove why they are the defending back-to-back national champions.
UCLA’s golden boy Andrew Rowan has been having a remarkable season and his excellence was illustrated in Wednesday night’s victory as he finished with 32 out of the Bruins’ 37 total assists.Coming into this match, UCLA was favored to win, riding a hot streak after securing consecutive wins against No.3 UC Irvine. That said, the understaffed Gauchos proved themselves as fierce competitors by forcing UCLA to dig deep in order to secure the win.
Although the Gauchos put up an admirable fight, their struggles with unforced errors were visible from the start. On the first serve of the game, setter Jack Walmer had a serving error that provided an initial spark for the Bruins. UCLA started off this set 3-0 and held onto this lead for the rest of the set eventually winning it 25-18.
However, in the second set, UCSB took control of the momentum by starting the set on an 11-4 run due to a combination of unforced errors by the Bruins and strong defense from the Gauchos. Nonetheless, UCLA squabbled its way back into the set pulling UCSB’s lead to just 22-20, but the Gauchos ultimately prevailed and won the second set 25-21, tying the match at 1-1.
The Bruins frustration from losing the second set was displayed with how they started the third set. UCLA took an imposing 3-0 lead to start this set, but the Gauchos did not let up. They battled their way back, tying it at 7-7 and continuing to brawl until the end of the set. This set became about as thrilling as it gets due to the constant lead changes and ties. It was tied at 24-24 when Rowan delivered a beautiful assist that set up outside hitter Zach Rama’s lead-taking kill. Following this play, every fan inside Pauley Pavilion turned their attention to UCLA’s David, who sent a powerful ace to the back left corner of UCSB’s court, securing the set for UCLA with a 26-24 win.
This built momentum for the Bruins which carried into the fourth set. This set began with a back and forth battle, but the Bruins eventually began to pull away. UCLA took a demanding 15-10 lead and was able to hold onto this lead until the end of the set. Soon enough, it was match point for UCLA at 24-21 when UCSB’s outside hitter Owen Loncar had a serving error that won the match for the Bruins 3-1.
On February 28, the Bruins and Gauchos will face off again in Santa Barbara where the Bruins will strive for a 2-0 series win and look to extend their current win streak to four.
UCSB #3 Owen Birg, jumps high in the middle of the court to receive the set, ready to spike. Photographed by Ryan Zhang/BruinLife
UCSB #6 Jack Walmer attempts to block UCLA #11 Cooper Robinson's tip over the net. Photographed by Ryan Zhang/BruinLife
UCLA #21 Zach Rama, winds up and delivers a powerful strike over the outstretched blockers of UCSB. Photographed by Ryan Zhang/BruinLife
UCSB #16 Josh Aruya leaps high, ready to launch a powerful spike. Photographed by Ryan Zhang/BruinLife
UCLA #11 Cooper Robinson helps up his libero, Matthew Aziz after an attempted save. Photographed by Ryan Zhang/BruinLife
