HONOLULU – On Friday night, the No. 8 UC Santa Barbara Men’s Volleyball team faced off against No. 2 Hawai’i in the first of two weekend matches, ultimately falling to their hosts 3-1. Despite their loss, Gauchos ultimately trailed the Rainbow Warriors by just six points and produced a nearly-identical statline.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos were a threat to the Rainbow Warriors from the beginning of the match, first getting to a 3-0 start. Hawai’i caught up at 6-6, and the teams remained tied through 16-16. Then, the Gauchos pulled several points ahead and reached a 23-20 advantage. In response, the Rainbow Warriors managed to make five points in a row and ended up with the set 25-23. Cole Schobel began his offensive campaign, dunking two kills to switch up Hawai’i’s rhythm…