SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - UC Riverside (7-13, 3-7 Big West) closed out the week on Saturday night with a 3-1 defeat to UC Santa Barbara (15-7, 7-3 Big West) at Robb Gym. 

UCR, which recorded a season-high 13 blocks, became just the seventh team this season to take set one from the Gauchos. 

Vanessa Imoh picked up where she left off with a towering kill from the right pin on the first point of the evening. The Highlanders continued clicking from the opening serve with an 11-4 lead.

Misu Nguyen increased the pressure with back-to-back aces out of the first media break. UC Santa Barbara made it interesting late, but UCR took set one after holding the Gauchos to -.077% hitting. 

UCR found itself on the tail end of a 15-11 contest at the second set media break. The Highlanders created chances through disrupting momentum, and responded to the Gaucho offense before calling for timeout to catch their breath. 

UCR conjured up a 4-0 scoring run after regrouping and closed to within one at 23-22 before the Gauchos evened the match. Set three saw UCR take an early 6-3 lead, but the Highlanders couldn't find a spark beyond it. 

Good things came in twos late in a do-or-die set four with Andrea Brewer leading the charge. 

Brewer claimed consecutive Highlander points to start the comeback, and Sophia Ewalefo, who booked her fifth double-double of the year, recorded a pair of kills out of a timeout before Nguyen racked up two more aces. UC Riverside again kept it close at the end. 

Nguyen recorded a career-high four aces. 

UCR wraps up the month on Tuesday, October 28, with a 6:00 pm match at UC Davis on ESPN+.