California Baptist University
UC Santa Barbara
Tough To Swallow
1/12/2012 4:27:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
By Daniel Cross Sports Information Graduate Intern
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. --- California Baptist University lost the match, but never lost faith against No. 12 UC Santa Barbara, falling in three to the Gauchos.
CBU lost 25-23, 25-17, and 26-24, in a hard fought match that seemed too much for the Lancers to handle.
The Lancers in the opening set hit .133, with 10 kills and six attacking errors. The only Lancer who showed production against the Gauchos was Kristopher Johnson, hitting .667 and tallying four blocks. As a team, The Gauchos hit .242 with 15 kills and seven attacking errors. The Lancers out-blocked the Gauchos four-to-two.
Late in the opening set, the Lancers led 15-13, but the Gauchos would rally off eight-straight points giving them the advantage for the rest of the set.
The lead changed hands four times in the opening game.
The second set was the exact same strong start for the Lancers, but with the score tied at 9-9, the Gauchos would again rally off four-straight points giving them a good grasp on the lead and the win.
The Lancers' Johnson and Joseph Fitzpatrick hit .400. As a team, the Lancers hit .050 and had six kills in the second. The Gauchos, as a team hit .286 and had 13 kills. The Lancers never seemed to get in a groove on the offensive end, but on the defensive side they continued to out-block the Gauchos five-to-four in the second set.
The Lancers proved to not go down without a fight as they continued to keep the score close and even took the lead late in the third, but the Gauchos would hold on even after losing the lead at 22-21 and 24-23. The Lancers finished hitting .139 as a team and a tremendous .207 in the third set. The Lancers managed 28 kills and 17 attacking errors, while the Gauchos finished with a .278 hitting percentage and 43 kills on the night. Johnson finished with 10 kills, seven blocks, and a hitting percentage of .444.
The Lancers out-blocked the Gauchos 7.5 to four.
The Lancers will move to 0-3 on the season and will play in the Van Dyne Gym on Jan. 20 against Grand Canyon in a 7 p.m. match next.
