An 81-square-meter target right in from of them, and they just couldn’t seem to find the mark.

The men’s volleyball team was unable to put the ball in the court and unable to stop UC Santa Barbara Wednesday night at Robertson Gym.

The Bruins fell in four sets 21-30, 29-31, 30-25, 24-30 and fall to 10-6 and 7-5 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play. The Gauchos break even by improving to 7-7 overall and 5-5 in league action.

UCLA shot themselves in the foot Wednesday night with 31 total hitting errors, including 23 errors and eight attacks blocked. The 23 self-inflicted errors made all the difference, especially in the close second set.

“Normally when we play well, we hit about the same number of balls out that we get blocked,” coach Al Scates said. “We should have hit 16 errors.”

The Bruins were their own worst enemy, which didn’t help matters, especially when the Gauchos were playing the best game of their season.

Santa Barbara hit .341 on the night while holding the Bruins to a .253 hitting percentage.

“We didn’t challenge the block enough,” Scates said.

“We tried too hard to avoid the block instead of hitting the block. That, in a nutshell, is why we lost tonight.”

Dylan Bowermaster returned to action Wednesday, filling in for Ryan Ratelle at opposite. But in order to get a more consistent offensive line, Scates brought Ratelle back in fill at the right side.

“(Bowermaster) had a slow start so I brought in Ratelle,” Scates said.

In relief, Ratelle finished the match with 16 kills and a solid .333 clip, but it was simply not enough to carry the Bruins to victory.

Outside hitters Garrett Muagututia and Sean O’Malley also struggled to put the ball down between the lines and were substituted out for Jeremy Casebeer and Ryal Jagd.

Unfortunately, neither of the two could provide a spark off the bench for the Bruins, and the two starters returned to the lineup.

“What Ryal Jagd does well is hit, but we didn’t set him; we just didn’t give him the ball,” Scates said.

However, when O’Malley came back, so too did the Bruins, and they were able to take the third set due to his height and ability to slow down Gaucho powerhouse Jeff Menzel.

In spite of the comeback, UCLA was incapable of sustaining the fire power to carry them to victory.

NORTHRIDGE NEXT: The Bruins will try to rebound Friday night at Cal State Northridge.

UCLA fell to the Matadors in a preseason matchup in November at the Student Activities Center. This time around the Bruins will have to travel to the Matadome where they beat the Matadors last season, 3-2.

The game starts at 7 p.m. It is the second game of a four-game road trip that began Wednesday with the loss to UCSB. After the game in Northridge, the Bruins will have to travel all the way to Muncie, Ind. for two games against Ball State.