SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men’s Volleyball team (1-0) kicked off the 2025 season as the host of the Asics Invitational with a sweep over Missouri S&T on Thursday afternoon. The Gauchos battled back to extend the first and third sets with scores of 31-29, 25-21 and 26-24.
FROM HEAD COACH RICK MCLAUGHLIN
“It was a good start for the Gauchos,” said McLaughlin. “We definitely have much to improve upon, but for the first match of the year I was happy with how we got smarter as the match progressed. We will see if we can tighten it up a bit more tomorrow and Saturday.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams went point-for-point as the first set started tied up at 6-6 with Sam Meister registering the first two kills for the Gauchos. Defensive work from Missouri S&T gave them an initial two-point lead but Santa Barbara would battle back to tie up the match at 12-12. Kills from Owen Birg and Geste Bianchi held the Gauchos within three points of the Miners headed into the back half of the first set. Birg and Jack Walmer took control of the final points of the set with a crucial block. Missouri S&T led 23-21, but a flurry of errors gave the Gauchos set point. The teams would battle into extra points for the set; Meister denied the set point for the Miners as the Gauchos hung on at 26-26. Bianchi kept the Blue and Gold in the game with his fifth successful swing and a block to hold off the Miners’ following set points. As both teams continued to extend the set, Ben Coordt’s second kill got Santa Barbara within reach of the first set win as they would ultimately take the set 31-29.
The second set started with the same pace as the first. The Gauchos went up by two following a 9-9 score. As the Miners tried to keep up, blocking from the Blue and Gold helped extend the lead. Birg continued to hit a perfect clip to that point, and a block from Jack Walmer created the biggest lead of the afternoon at 20-14. Missouri S&T held on with a three-point run as the Gauchos approached set point. A final kill from Bianchi secured the second set for Santa Barbara 25-21.
The third set started slow for the Blue and Gold. Riggs Guy found his first collegiate kill to kick off the third set scoring for the Gauchos. After trailing 7-2, Santa Barbara went on a 5-0 scoring run to tie the set up at seven-all. As the Gauchos got back into their flow from the second set, it was a battle for the lead. Both teams went point-for-point until the Gauchos pulled ahead by two at 20-18. Santa Barbara wouldn’t hold on to the lead for long as Missouri S&T flipped the score with their own two-point lead. Bianchi got his second ace of the night to tie up the set 23-23. Guy took his fourth successful swing of the night to save Santa Barbara at the Miners’ set point. At match point, Guy would find the kill to give the Gauchos the 26-24 win and the sweep.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Owen Birg hit an impressive .727 clip with seven kills and zero errors. He also added four block assists and a solo block.
- Geste Bianchi led the Gauchos in kills with 13 while registering two aces and a block.
- Riggs Guy made his collegiate debut with five kills hitting a .375 clip in his first time out with the Gauchos.
- Sam Meister registered an incredibly efficient hitting percentage coming in at .500. He had six kills and only one error on the afternoon.
- Jack Walmer started the season as setter putting in critical work on both sides of the ball. He made 42 assists while adding three total blocks on defense.
UP NEXT
The Asics Invitational continues tomorrow as the Gauchos host Menlo College at 4:30 p.m in Rob Gym. For those unable to make it in person, the match will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available on ucsbgauchos.com.
