SANTA BARBARA—Megan Jacobsen collected a season-high 16 kills but it wasn't enough as San Diego fell to UC Santa Barbara 3-1 on Friday night in Santa Barbara, Calif.
 
The Toreros (2-4) took the opening set 25-23 before dropping the next three to the Gauchos 22-25, 19-25, 22-25. USD hit .154 on the night compared to UCSB's .253 clip. The Gauchos (6-1) were strong at the net, outblocking the Toreros 14.0 to 5.0.
 
Jacobsen hit .500 on the night, with a team-high three blocks. Roxie Wiblin also reached double-digits with 12 kills and Katie Lukes and Grace Frohling chipped in seven apiece.
 
Annie Benbow collected 17 digs in the back court, while Anna Newsome added 11. Newsome also collected 32 assists in the contest for her second double-double of the season.
 
UC Santa Barbara's Lindsey Ruddins collected a match-high 20 kills while two other Gauchos reached double-digit kills. 
 
The Gauchos jumped out to an early 7-3 lead in set one, but the Toreros closed quickly to tie the game 10-10. USD stretched its largest lead at 15-11 after two consecutive aces from Thana Fayad. 
 
The teams engaged in a back-and-forth battle down the stretch with 11 ties and six lead changes. With UCSB leading 23-22, the Toreros rattled off three straight points including back-to-back kills from Wiblin to close out the first frame, 25-23.
 
San Diego started strong in the second set, leading 7-2 early. The Toreros maintained a six-point lead for the majority of the set behind the balanced attack of Wiblin, Jacobsen and Frohling. With the Toreros in front 22-18, UCSB went on a 7-0 run—including five USD errors—to close out the set and even the match 1-1.
 
The Toreros led again 14-10 midway through the third, before a 6-1 run put the Gauchos out in front 16-15. UCSB stretched its lead to 20-16 before the Toreros began to rally, but it proved to be too late for USD and the Gauchos closed out the third set, 25-19. 
 
Santa Barbara continued its momentum into the final set leading 4-0 early. The Toreros pulled within one point 9-10, but the Gauchos rattled off four straight points to create distance again. Trailing by as many as five, USD mounted a late rally to pull within two at 22-24 but ultimately fell short of the comeback.
 
San Diego is back in action on Saturday with a double-header to close out the Thunderdome Classic in Santa Barbara. The Toreros will take on Harvard in the morning match at 10 a.m. PT before facing La Salle at 4 p.m.