UCSB has cancelled its scheduled dual meet against UNLV that was originally scheduled for Friday afternoon in Montecito. The event is the latest cancellation for UCSB Athletics owed to the closure of the major 101 Freeway due to ongoing mudslides in Santa Barbara County.
The mudslides have caused 17 deaths and destroyed homes in the latest natural disaster to hit California, with 5 still listed as ‘missing’ on Friday morning. Experts believe that the recent wildfires have destroyed much of the undergrowth that was previously holding hill-sides in place, and heavy rains over the last week set off the catastrophic slides. Besides the loss of life, many homes in the area around UCSB have also been destroyed.
The campus itself has mostly been spared, but transportation to-and-from campus has been disrupted because of the closure of the 101. The school is currently conducting final exams at the conclusion of the winter quarter.
In lief of the meet against UNLV, UCSB will hold a blue-gold intrasquad scrimmage at Campus Pool at 11AM Pacific time. The women will return to intersquad action on January 19th with a dual against UC Davis, and the next day both teams will race Pacific. UCSB’s men’s team are the defending MPSF Conference champions.
The UCSB men’s volleyball team also announced cancellations – choosing not to travel to the Los Angeles area for weekend matches. Competitions in other sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, have continued as scheduled.