MILWAUKEE (3-29) – Thirteenth-ranked UC Santa Cruz traveled to Milwaukee to take on Milwaukee School of Engineering. Junior
Jalen Suwa set the program single-match record for digs in a match as the Banana Slugs won their fourth match in a row 3-1 (26-24, 25-27, 25-21, 25-22).
In the first set,
Kyle Ownbey helped the Banana Slugs secure the first point of the match with a kill. After the Raiders gained their largest lead of the set at 17-12, the Banana Slugs went on a 10-5 run, capped by
Noy Fisher's kill to tie the set at 22-22. After consecutive kills by Fisher,
Riley Norman, and Ownbey, the Banana Slugs won set one 26-24.
In the second set,
Leo Tuncer and Ownbey started the second set with back-to-back kills. The Raiders and Banana Slugs would play a back-and-forth set. The Banana Slugs would take the lead at 24-23 on a kill by Norman. However, the Raiders finished the set on a 4-1 run and won the second set 27-25.
In the third set, the Raiders got the first couple points. The Banana Slugs then got kills from Tuncer and Espinoza to gain a 4-2 lead and gained their largest lead of the set at 16-9 after kills by
Nico Espinoza,
Ethan Makishima, Norman, and Tuncer. The Banana Slugs won the third set 25-21.
The fourth set started with the Raiders in the lead after attack errors from the Banana Slugs. The Banana Slugs got back into the set after kills from Espinoza, Norman, and Tuncer tied the set at 14-14. It was another back-and-forth set with the Banana Slugs holding a slim advantage when Espinoza came from the side for a kill to make the score 22-20. The last set ended with the Banana Slugs winning 25-22 after a kill by Espinoza.
Suwa had 33 digs in the match. The previous record of 28 was set by Jonathan Santos against Ottawa University (AZ) on February 10th, 2018.
"Tonight was a great team win and we were locked in defensively," said head coach Jacob Landel. "Jalen had a phenomenal match and his new record is a testament to the hard work they all have put into their craft."
Norman led the team with 19 kills on 57 total attacks, while having 11 digs of his own. Tuncer had 16 kills on 32 total attacks with 28 assists and nine digs. Espinoza had 14 kills and 10 digs.
UC Santa Cruz will take on No. 14 North Central College tomorrow at 3:00 PM (PST) to end their Midwest trip.
