April 2, 2002

Santa Barbara, Calif. -
The Schedule
Match No. 24
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2002 at 7:05 p.m.
#6 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. USC Trojans
in Robertson Gym

Match No. 25
Saturday, April 6th, 2002 at 7:05 p.m.
#6 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. #1 Pepperdine Waves
in Robertson Gym

Trojan Talk
USC enters this week on an eight match losing streak, its second of the season, and with a record of 5-19 overall, 2-16 in MPSF action. The Trojans and Gauchos have met earlier this season when UCSB defeated USC, 30-20, 30-24, 23-30, 30-22 in Los Angeles. This meeting will give the Gauchos a chance to even the overall series with USC, which stands at 42-41 in the Trojans favor. Santa Barbara native Brook Billings is leading the Trojans with 4.44 kills per game, which ranks eighth in the MPSF. On the defensive front, libero Greg Burden is averaging 2.04 digs per game, while his libero partner Peter Jordan is averaging 1.24 digs per game. Setter Miles McGann is averaging 10.01 assists per game. The Trojans also lead the conference in service ace average (1.98) with Mark Dusharme leading the way with 0.30 service aces per game.

Wave Report
Pepperdine also enters this week on a streak, however they have won nine consecutive matches. Last week the Waves swept UCLA to steal the top ranking from the Bruins. Pepperdine is 21-4 overall and 16-2 in MPSF action. One of the Waves four losses came at the hands of the Gauchos in a non-conference tournament in Malibu back on January 7th. However, when the teams met again in Firestone Fieldhouse for a MPSF match on Februrary 1st, the Waves returned the favor by sweeping the Gauchos. Middle blocker Brad Keenan is leading the way for the Waves with a MPSF leading .502 hitting percentage and a .565 service ace average, which is also tops in the conference. Freshman outside hitter Sean Rooney is heading up the Wave attack with 4.51 kills in MPSF matches, which ranks sixth in the conference. As a team, Pepperdine is leading the MPSF with a .374 hitting percentage and ranks second in blocking average (5.89) and service ace average (1.69).

Gauchos Struggle Over Spring Break, Fall To BYU
After splitting a back-to-back series with third-ranked Hawai'i, the Gauchos were unable to do the same with fourth-ranked BYU as they fell to the Cougars, 3-0 on consecutive nights. In the first match, UCSB was without a player in double-digit kills as Andy Rivera led the team with nine kills. On the following night, UCSB got its attack back on track as Ben Koski hammered 21 kills en route to a .469 hitting performance. However, the Cougars hit at a .424 clip and posted 16 more kills than UCSB to take the victory.

In The Numbers
Sophomore middle blocker Justin Adams has remained the Gauchos stronghold in the NCAA statistics with a powerful block and attack. The Paradise Valley, Arizona native is averaging 1.42 blocks per game, which ranks fourth in the country. His impressive .468 hitting percentage is good for eighth in the NCAA. In conference play, Adams has maintained his solid play and found a home atop the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. His 1.44 blocking average is good for third in the MPSF. Adams' .478 hitting percentage in MPSF matches ranks second in the conference. He is also a large reason why UCSB has put together a .369 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the NCAA.