5-6
UC Santa Barbara
6-6
Mustangs Fall at Blue-Green Rival UC Santa Barbara in Five Sets
9/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
SANTA BARBARA – Freshman outside Raeann Greisen (right) recorded a career-high 22 kills and hit a team-leading .327, but the Cal Poly volleyball program – after capturing the opening two sets against Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara Saturday night – dropped the remaining three and a 23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-23, 15-11 decision inside The Thunderdome.
Freshman setter Taylor Nelson added a career-high 58 assists for Cal Poly (5-6, 0-1), which held UC Santa Barbara to a .251 hitting percentage in the Big West Conference opener for both sides. Sophomore middle blocker Taylor Gruenewald chalked up 17 kills for Cal Poly while freshman middle blocker Savannah Niemen enjoyed 12 kills.
In set No. 1, Cal Poly trailed 6-3 before claiming five of the next seven points to square the game at 8-8. Two kills from Gruenewald and Greisen eventually helped Cal Poly surge ahead 12-11. The Mustangs, who hit a match-best .289 in the set, trailed just once more en route to victory.
Cal Poly resumed service in set No. 2, using two kills apiece from Nelson and Gruenewald to break a 6-6 deadlock and leap out to a 14-8 advantage and an eventual two-game lead.
Despite committing the same amount of hitting errors as UC Santa Barbara in set No. 3, the Mustangs failed to lead at any point. After a Gaucho hitting error allowed Cal Poly to square the set at 14-14, the Mustangs saw UC Santa Barbara rip off the next four points on the way to the game victory.
Cal Poly led set No. 4 by as much as 8-4 early and 19-12 late before an 8-3 run brought the Gauchos within two points at 22-20. A kill from middle blocker Caihla Petiprin then placed Cal Poly up 23-20, but the Gauchos received back-to-back kills before three successive Mustang hitting errors handed the game to UC Santa Barbara.
The Gauchos then hit .636 without an error in set No. 5 to claim the five-game victory.
Cal Poly continues action when hosting UC Davis (Friday, Oct. 3) and UC Riverside (Saturday, Oct. 4) for a two-match set inside Mott Athletics Center.
