SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Vanguard men's volleyball team searched for its second win over an NCAA Division I opponent this season, but fell short in a 23-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-20 loss to UC Santa Barbara inside Rob Gym Wednesday evening.

The Lions, ranked No. 1 in the NAIA, dropped to 7-3 on the season, while the Gauchos improved to 3-9. VU defeated the first NCAA foe in program history after sweeping CSUN on Feb. 1.

Kyle Anema (SR/La Mirada, CA) posted a team-high 15 kills and hit .343 (15-3-35) for the Lions. Will Anderson (JR/Tualatin, OR) totaled 10 kills, eight digs and six total blocks. Cody Watts (SR/Clovis, CA) had a solid match with nine kills on .368 hitting and eight block assists.

Valesis Vaisuai (JR/Hayward, CA) added seven kills and eight blocks of his own. Ryan Smith (SR/Parker, CO) tallied 39 assists and six block assists.

VU hit .227 (45-18-119) for the match, while UCSB countered at .209 (53-26-129).

The Lions displayed a dominant block, owning a 17.5-4.5 edge in that department. However, the Gauchos had more kills (53-45), digs (51-40) and service aces (9-5) in overcoming a first-set loss.

Owen Birg led the Gauchos with a 19-kill, 10-dig double-double. Ryan Wilcox added 14 kills and setter Jack Walmer had a double-double with 42 assists and 12 digs.

What Happened?

Set 1: The Lions raced out to a commanding 13-6 lead behind the strong serving of Watts, who presided over a 6-0 run. Anema had a pair of kills and the Gauchos notched four straight attack errors as the Lions surged.

Vanguard continued to be in charge leading 19-12 when the Gauchos responded with a 5-1 run to get within 20-17.

The Lions reached set point at 24-20 following a UCSB service error, but watched the Gauchos reel off three straight to trim the deficit to one and force a VU timeout.

Out of the break, Smith set Watts for the set-clinching kill as VU took a 1-0 lead in the match. VU hit .250 (9-3-24) in the first set, while UCSB swung at a .188 (14-8-32) clip.

Set 2: The Lions opened up a four-point lead before UCSB went on a big run to take control midway through the set. VU reset and went back-and-forth with UCSB before faltering down the stretch.

Anema's kill gave the Blue and Gold a 9-5 lead. Wilcox spearheaded a 9-1 Gaucho run with four kills as UCSB took a 14-10 lead. The Lions countered with three straight points, culminating in an combo block from Vaisuai and Tanner Woods (JR/Portland, OR).

The Lions eventually tied the score at 18-18 on a Woods ace as UCSB called timeout. The teams faced three more ties, the last at 22-22 after another Anema kill.

Birg knocked down consecutive kills to get UCSB to set point, but a big block from Anderson and Vaisuai cut the deficit to one. But Sam Meister put the ball away to give the Gauchos the 25-23 victory.

Set 3: The Lions overcame an early deficit to grab a late lead, but they made a couple of key service errors down the stretch as UCSB eked out the win. The Lions were hampered by six service errors in the set.

UCSB led 12-8, but the Lions got kills from Anema, Anderson and Watts during a 7-3 push that tied the score at 15-15.

The two teams clashed through seven more ties in another back-and-forth battle. With the score knotted at 22-22, a Lion service error gave UCSB a one-point lead. Walmer connected for a kill to get UCSB to set point. Anema staved off one set point with a kill, but Wilcox closed out the two-point win with a putaway on the next play.

Set 4: Vanguard fought to take the match a decisive fifth set, but could not sustain its play as UCSB ran away with a late run.

The teams exchanged leads three times before Anderson and Vaisuai rejected Birg on back-to-back plays to give the Lions an 11-9 lead.

Anema's kill provided VU its final lead at 15-14 before the Gauchos scored five straight points – two off of VU attack errors.

Leading 19-15, the Gauchos weren't safe as Vaisuai sandwiched a pair of kills around an Anderson solo block to pull the Lions within one.

UCSB called timeout and it worked wonders, as the next three points went to the Gauchos, including a triple block on Anderson that gave the Gauchos a 22-18 advantage.

The Gauchos closed the set winning 11 of the last 16 points for the 25-20 triumph. They hit a match-best.300 (10-4-20) in the fourth, while the Lions managed a match-low .148 (12-8-27) effort.

Why Is It Important?: The Lions showed their mettle against another NCAA opponent and came within a few points of notching a big win.

What's Next?: VU climbs back into Golden State Athletic Conference play, hosting Arizona Christian on Friday at Calvary Chapel High School. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m.