Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
Maybe Ryan Wilcox and his UC Santa Barbara teammates just needed time for digestion to take its course.
Whatever it was, the Gauchos recovered quickly enough Friday to turn the tables on Long Beach State after a listless first set and earn a berth in the Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship match. UCSB came back to beat The Beach 16-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-15 in their semifinal match at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The No. 2-seeded Gauchos (14-4) take on UC San Diego, which stunned No. 1 Hawaii Friday, tonight at the SSC for the conference’s guaranteed spot in next week’s NCAA tournament.
Like plenty of college students visiting home in Hawaii, Wilcox had to get his favorite local food. He’s turned his teammates on to it, too.
“Every single time I go to Zippy’s,” the Punahou product said. “It’s probably not the best pregame meal, but I love the chili rice, that’s my go-to.”
And Wilcox was the go-to for UCSB, his 16 kills on 37 swings propelling the Gauchos.
This was despite a dominant first set for third-seeded LBSU (7-5). It dominated at the net with five blocks to none for the Gauchos, and UCSB hit .100. Spencer Olivier had five of his match-high 18 kills for Long Beach State.
“They came out and served at a high level and we got predictable,” UCSB coach Rick McLaughlin said. “But we calmed down and got in system.”
After his five second-set kills helped even the match, Wilcox keyed its turning point in the third.
UCSB took the lead 8-7 on his kill. Then he served an ace, and followed that with a kill from the back row to make it 10-7. After that, the Gauchos slowly pulled away and The Beach never recovered. The set point came after a rally that looked like a soccer match at times; two UCSB players came up with kick saves, including one by Wilcox that went over the net.
“They dug a ton of balls they turned into points with effort,” LBSU coach Alan Knipe said. “There’s always going to be a response. They got the momentum (after the first set) and we were chasing it. … We kind of struggled in all areas.”
Wilcox and McLaughlin said the Gauchos did not panic after the first set.
“You get boat-raced like that in the first game you don’t typically come back,” the coach said. “But they didn’t flinch.”
Wilcox also contributed three of his team’s four service aces.
“We stayed calm (after the first set) and talked about it,” he said. “We got a lot of touches and digs.”
A former Punahou star would be headed to the conference championship match whichever team won. Ethan Siegfried, Wilcox’s high school teammate and a key member of two LBSU national championship teams, had eight kills and two aces Friday.
“We’re very good friends and I have a ton of respect for (Wilcox) on and off the court,” Siegfried said. “He did a great job of carrying their team.”
75
