BOULDER, Colo.— The LIU volleyball team dropped its first match of the 2019 season Friday evening, falling to UC Santa Barbara 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-20) at the UC Events Center.

Senior Kora Schaberl led the Sharks with a double-double effort in the loss, posting a match-high 16 kills to go along with 10 digs. Junior Jovana Stekovic added nine kills and senior Amanda Hubbard recorded 23 assists. Senior Natalia Rivera registered 11 digs for the Sharks.

LIU drew the opening serve to start the match, picking up the first two points on a kill and service ace from Stekovic. The Gauchos responded with a four-point swing to take over the lead 4-2. Both teams continued to trade points as the set continued but Santa Barbara used a 6-2 stretch to claim the 18-10 margin. The Sharks chipped the deficit to five on a pair of kills by Stekovic and a pair of Santa Barbara errors to bring the score to 19-14. The Gauchos closed the opening set with a 6-3 stretch to take the 25-17 set win.

In the second set, the Gauchos took the early 6-4 favor but a three point swing by the Sharks on a kill from freshman Karolina Nova and a pair of Santa Barbara  errors gave LIU the 7-6 lead. The set continued with both teams going point-for-point with brief glimpses at the lead, working to a 14-14 stalemate. Santa Barbara broke out a five-point run to bring the score to 19-14. LIU was able to break up the run on an attack error and a kill from freshman Miranda Strongman to cut the score to 19-16. But it was 6-1 closing stretch that gave Santa Barbara the set win.

The Sharks came out strong in the third set, working an early 4-2 margin thanks to a pair of Santa Barbara errors and an ace from Nova and kill by Schaberl. Santa Barbara worked its way back in the tightly contested set to tie it up at 9-9. Back-to-back points by the Gauchos helped create some separation that carried to an 18-14 advantage. LIU capitalized on a pair of errors by the Gauchos to cut the deficit to two but Santa Barbara closed the set on another 6-3 swing to earn the straight set victory.

Up next, the Sharks continue competition at the Buffs Invitational with a 12:00 p.m. matchup on Saturday, August 31 against tournament host, Colorado.