THOUSAND OAKS, CA – In a down to the wire matchup, UC Santa Cruz fell to Cal Lutheran in a 3-2 (25-15, 23-25, 24-26, 25-13, 15-12) five-set thriller on Saturday at Gilbert Arena. Despite a strong showing of resilience and great competition, the Banana Slugs came up just short in the deciding fifth set.

How It Happened

UC Santa Cruz got off to a rough start in Saturday's match, struggling to find their rhythm in the first set. The offense never quite settled in, and with just eight kills, the Slugs dropped the opener 25-15.

But as they've done all season, UCSC bounced back. The second set was tighter and more controlled. The Slugs tightened up their passing, dug in defensively, and made key plays late to take the set 25-23 and even the match at 1-1.

The third set was a strong showing for UCSC. The Slugs showed great composure and tempo in the final points, pulling out a 26-24 win to take the lead in the match.

In the fourth, the Slugs couldn't keep the momentum going. Errors made it tough to stay close, and despite some strong individual plays, UCSC fell behind early, sending the match to a fifth set.

The final set was back and forth from the start. UCSC stayed composed and matched their opponent point-for-point, tying things 8-8. But a couple of missed chances late kept them from closing it out, and the Slugs dropped the set 15-12.

Key Performers

·       Dylan Foreman – 20 kills (.289), 11 digs, three block assists

·       Kyle Ownbey – 10 kills (.421), three block assists

·       Riley Norman – 9 kills, nine digs, two block assists

·       Andrew Pak – 38 assists, eight digs

·       Ethan Makishima – 5 kills, one ace, four total blocks

·       David Polster – 8 digs, three blocks

·       Nico Espinoza – 11 digs, one ace

·       Caio Valente – 4 assists, four digs in two sets played