USC
UC Santa Barbara
Men's Volleyball Falls To No. 6 UC Santa Barbara
April 03, 2002 | Men's Volleyball
April 3, 2002
The sixth-ranked UC Santa Barbara men's volleyball team bounced back from two consecutive losses to sweep USC, 30-23, 30-23, 30-27 in front of 483 fans in Robertson Gym on Wednesday night. With the loss, the Trojans fall to 5-20, 2-17 in MPSF play.
UCSB started quickly, hitting at a .481 clip in game one, while holding the Trojans to a .103 output. The Gauchos spread the ball around as Ben Koski and Michael Kennedy posted four kills apiece in game one, while Andy Rivera and Jan Carlo Zegarra recorded three kills respectively. The Gaucho block also started hot with 6.5 blocks in the first game.
After UCSB pounded 18 kills in game two, the teams battled throughout game three. The Trojans kept the game within one point for much of the set before UCSB jumped out to a 22-17 lead. However, USC battled back to fight off two UCSB match points to put them behind 29-27. A kill from sophomore middle blocker Justin Adams sealed the game and the match for UCSB.
Koski led the Gaucho attack with 13 kills. Rivera and Justin Adams added nine kills. Adams also led all blockers with six blocks in the win. Zegarra recorded eight kills and a match-high nine digs.
USC was led by senior outside hitter Brook Billings who posted 13 kills and four digs in the contest. Beau Rawi joined Billings in double digits with 11 kills in a .471 hitting performance.
