California Baptist University
3-16,0-7Big West
University of California Santa Barbara
10-9,5-2Big West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Baptist | 17 | 25 | 27 | 23 | 17 | 2 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 25 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 19 | 3 |
10/17/2026 10:25:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SANTA BARBARA, CA--- The California Baptist University volleyball team went the distance for the second consecutive night as they dropped a five-set match to UC Santa Barbara at the Thunderdome on Saturday night.
The Lancers kept pace with the Gauchos at the outset of the first set, but the Gauchos would turn it on late and finished the set on a 7-4 run to claim the opening period 25-17 for a 1-0 lead. The Lancers led wire to wire in the second set as they would take an early 4-1 lead and would never look back. CBU played consistently clean volleyball in the frame and would hold off a late UCSB push to tie the match with the 25-22 victory.
Service errors reared their ugly head for the Lancers to begin the third set as they fell behind early, struggling to handle the Gaucho serves early on. CBU brought themselves back into the match with efficient hitting, overcoming a five-point deficit to tie the set at 14 apiece. UCSB would hold off the Lancers from taking the lead, but a 3-0 late CBU run would give them their first lead of the set at 25-24 in extra points. UCSB would tie it up on the ensuing point, but a pair of UCSB errors would complete the comeback by the Lancers to take a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set was back and forth to begin, but a 4-0 UCSB run mid-set flipped the momentum to the Gauchos. CBU would catch up after trailing by as many as six points to eventually tie the set at 22 all. UCSB scored the next three of the next four points to force the fifth set.
The fifth set was the ultimate roller coaster as the two teams went back and forth with neither willing to give in. The fifth set spilled into extras with CBU getting to set point first at 16-15. UCSB would score four of the next five as they would hold off the Lancer attack to win the set 19-17 and the match in five.
Emery DeJong was phenomenal once again for Trevor Johnson, as she would lead the team with 16 kills and chipped in 12 digs as well. Audrey Heiring and Eleftheria Baxa would be right behind with 13 kills apiece, while Maddie Brown posted a season-high 44 assists.
NEXT: The Lancers will return to Riverside to face the UCR Highlanders in the Crosstown Showdown at the SRC Arena on Friday, October 23.
