It was Ping-Pong Ball Giveaway Night in the Thunderdome on Saturday night.

It was UC Santa Barbara’s upset hopes that got bounced.

No. 19 Hawaii rebounded from being swept 98 miles up the coast by Cal Poly on Friday night with an impressive 25-20, 25-22, 25-19 sweep of the Gauchos in a key Big West volleyball match for both. Freshman hitter Hanna Hellvig (14 kills) and senior hitter McKenna Ross (12 kills) shook off their off-nights in Mott Athletics Center to come up big over the 97 minutes that kept the Rainbow Wahine (14-2, 4-2 Big West) in the conference-title conversation.

It was the first loss for UCSB (15-2, 5-1) in 13 matches and the first home defeat in nine contests dating back to last season. It also was the 10th straight time that Hawaii left Goleta, Calif., with a win going back to 1994.

“It would have been easy to fold,” said Ross, who had two kills and hit negative-.214 on Friday. “Personally, it was my mental game. I reset my mind. I know what I’m capable of.

“This felt super good. We played with confidence and with a chip on our shoulders. We definitely took care of it from the service line.”

Hawaii had service runs in each of the sets but none bigger than the one from junior defensive specialist Kyra Hanawahine midway through Set 3. The transfer from Oregon had two aces as the Wahine turned a tight 14-13 lead into a commanding one at 20-13.

“All I was thinking was about doing my job, creating some momentum,” the Kamehameha product said in a telephone call. “This time, we didn’t let having a lead get the best of us. We kept applying pressure.

“I felt that it showed so much character. We picked each other up and did it together. We needed this. And we’ll be using it to motivate us for our next matches.”

Hawaii will host UC Riverside (4-12, 3-3) at 7 p.m. Friday and UC Davis (11-7, 3-2) at 5 p.m Sunday. The match with the Aggies includes the 25th anniversary celebration of the Stan Sheriff Center.

While UCSB is also at home next week, the Gauchos may have the rougher road. They host conference leader Cal Poly (13-5, 6-0) on Saturday in the first of the Blue-Green Rivalry.

Senior setter-hitter Norene Iosia turned in her 10th double-double of the season (16 assists, 14 digs). It was the 13th match in double-figure kills for Hellvig, who had a season low of six against Cal Poly.

A season-high crowd of 908 saw Hawaii avoid two consecutive road Big West matches for the first time since 2014. A large number of the fans were family and friends of the six Wahine players from California, including Ross, who is from Aliso Viejo.

“When we are on the road, we have to make our own energy,” Ross said. “But we had a big group of fans and it helped with the energy.”

Ross also saw two former Aliso Niguel High teammates across the net in redshirt senior Lindsey Ruddins and her sister, sophomore Gigi. Lindsey Ruddins, the Big West kill leader at 4.32 kills per set, was just under her average after finishing with a team-high 12 kills and adding 11 digs. Gigi Ruddins was second in kills with seven.

Lindsey Ruddins had just two kills in Set 1 when Hawaii snapped another one of UCSB’s streaks, that of consecutive sets won (14). It didn’t appear the Wahine would pull it off early, trailing 8-4 and 13-10.

A 4-0 serving run by freshman middle Amber Igiede put Hawaii ahead for good 15-13. Hellvig put down four straight kills and the Wahine jumped out 23-17.

At 24-19, the Gauchos held off one set point but not a second. A kill by Ross ended the streak that had dated back to the Sept. 24 five-set win over Cal State Northridge, where UCSB rallied to take Sets 4 and 5.

Ruddins got hot in Set 2, her sixth kill turning a 19-15 deficit into a 19-all tie. The 11th tie came at 22 and shades of momentum slipping away — as happened in losses to Baylor, UC Irvine and Cal Poly — surfaced.

Ross took it personally, putting down two kills. Senior setter Bailey Choy’s ace had the Wahine walking into the locker room up 2-0.

There was a letdown in Hawaii’s serve-receive when it gave up three aces in Set 3, the last by Rowan Ennis that tied it at 13. It was the eighth and last tie with a ball-handling error on Ennis giving the Wahine the lead for good at 14-13 and sending Hanawahine back for her extended stay on the service line.