RICHMOND, Va. –– Double-doubles by Maddi Sgattoni (Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Amanda Montag (Jr., Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) were not enough for the Navy (2-3) volleyball team to overcome a strong UC Santa Barbara (4-1) squad Saturday morning in Richmond, Va.  The Gauchos defeated the Mids in four sets, 25-15, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21.

Navy's three losses this year have come to West Coast teams Gonzaga and UC Santa Barbara plus Alabama from the SEC.  Six of the nine set losses by the Mids in those matches have come by no more than five points.

"I'm proud of our resilience," said Navy head coach Paco Labrador, "with how we bounced back from a slow start in set one and finding a way to get back into the match."

The Gauchos took leads of 8-4, 13-6 and 16-9 in separating from the Mids early in set one.  UCSB would total 12 kills and two errors (.435) in the frame and limit Navy to seven kills and eight errors (-.033) in claiming the opening set.

It was Navy's turn to have a strong start to the second set.  The Mids led 5-2, 9-4 and 11-5.  The Gauchos soon took their first lead of the stanza at 13-12.  The score would be tied at both 13 and 14, then Navy went on a 3-0 run to take a 17-14 advantage.  UCSB responded with a 3-0 run of its own to tie the score, then a kill by Sgattoni and a hitting error by the Gauchos gave the Mids a 19-17 lead.

The lead would grow to 21-18 and soon a Sgattoni service ace took the Mids to set point with a 24-20 lead.  A kill by setter Paige Miles (Sr., Oklahoma City, Okla.) evened the match at one set each.  Sgattoni recorded eight kills and two aces in the frame.

UCSB tried to build some separation in set three, but could never completely pull away from Navy.  The Gauchos slowly built a 13-8 lead only to see Navy climb back and tie the score at 18.  The Gauchos would take leads of 20-18, 21-19 and 22-20, but back came Navy to tie the set at 22.  The teams traded sideouts to again tie the score at 23, then back-to-back kills by Lindsey Ruddins gave the Gauchos a 2-1 lead in sets.

The Gauchos quickly took leads of 4-0, 6-1, 8-2 and 14-7 at the start of set number four.  UCSB would take a 20-13 lead before Navy started to chip away at the deficit.  The Mids closed to within 22-18 before the Gauchos reached match point with a 24-18 advantage.  Navy fought off three match points against it before a block by UCSB ended the nearly two-hour contest.

Navy registered six more kills (54-48) and 40 more attempts (158-118) than UCSB, but the Mids also recorded 11 more attack errors (27-16) than the Gauchos.  Part of this was due to UCSB holding a 9-5 advantage in blocks and an 8-3 lead in service aces.  

Sgattoni posted 21 kills, a .314 hitting percentage and 12 digs.  Montag added 15 kills, a .387 hitting percentage and 12 digs.  

"Our left-side hitters made some really special plays," said Labrador.  "Amanda's serving numbers don't reflect the four-to-five overpasses off of her serve that our front-row players attacked for easy points.  She has really stepped into a vocal leadership role this season."

Also for Navy, Miles dished out 36 assists and Sofia Hruby (Sr., Austin, Texas) contributed four blocks.

Navy will travel to Fairfax, Va., on Tuesday for a match against George Mason.