Rustlers Lose Five-Set Heartbreaker to Santa Barbara

Huntington Beach, Calif. – After winning the first two sets, Golden West (1-5) dropped the following three sets to lose the match (22-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17, 15-11) to the visiting Santa Barbara Vaqueros (5-2).

In an evenly matched contest, the first two sets consisted of two tight matchups. The largest lead in both sets was only four. The first set saw back-and-forth scoring until Lenzie Ainsworth had a kill to put Golden West up 11-9. The Rustlers maintained their lead and were victorious in set one after Taivasa Alama's slam concluded the set, 25-22.

The second set saw much of the same. After trailing early 4-1, the Rustlers were able to tie it up, 6-6. Santa Barbara would gain a 16-12 lead, only to see Golden West even the score at 21 apiece. With Golden West leading 24-22, Ainsworth posted a kill to clinch the second set, 25-22 

Golden West jumped out to a 3-1 lead in set three and would control their lead until Santa Barbara went on a four-point run to even the score at 12. The Vaqueros would hit their stride midway to win set three, 25-20. In the fourth set, Santa Barbara won without ever trailing, 25-17.

With momentum favoring the Santa Barbara bench, the Vaqueros would lead early and carry on to a 14-7 advantage. On game point, the Rustlers would go on a four-point rally to narrow the gap and trail 14-11. The rally proved to be too late for Golden West when Santa Barbara scored the final point to win set five, 15-11. Santa Barbara defeated Golden West, three sets to two. 

Overall, Alvin Truong had another impressive performance with 17 kills and a .447 hitting percentage (17-38). Lenzie Ainsworth added on nine kills and Nathan May contributed with 24 assists. On the defensive side, Daniel Vasquez had 15 digs.

NEXT: Golden West will host San Diego Miramar on Wednesday, February 25, at 6:00 p.m.