April 10, 2002

Santa Barbara, Calif. - The Schedule
Match No. 26
Thursday, April 11th, 2002 at 7:05 p.m.
#6 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. Long Beach State
in Robertson Gym

Match No. 27
Saturday, April 13th, 2002 at 7:00 p.m.
#6 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at #10 Cal State Northridge
in The Matadome

Scouting The 49ers
Long Beach State is looking to clinch a berth in the MPSF playoffs this week as it stands tied at 8-12 in MPSF play with Pacific and Cal State Northridge. Overall, Long Beach State has posted a 12-16 record this season, which will guide Long Beach to its first losing season since 1994 when it ended a 13-15. The series between the schools has slightly one-sided as the 49ers hold a 36-25 advantage over UCSB. However, UCSB has turned that around this season, breaking its four consecutive loss streak to Long Beach State with two wins, one in a pre-season tournament at Pepperdine and a 3-1 victory over the 49ers in MPSF play. Sophomore outside hitter Jeff Wooton is leading the attack for Long Beach State with 3.12 kills per game. He also has a 1.61 digs per game average, which is also tops on the team. Long Beach State is solid from service line with a 1.25 service ace average in conference matches. Scott Touzinsky leads the team with 0.37 service aces per game.

Scouting The Matadors
The tenth-ranked Matadors enter the final week of the season, battling along with Pacific and the 49ers for the final two berths to the MPSF Playoffs. Cal State Northridge is 13-13 overall, 8-12 in conference play before facing off with fourth-ranked UCLA on Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Over the course of the series between the schools, UCSB has built a 36-17 advantage over Cal State Northridge. Recently, the Gauchos swept the Matatdors in Robertson Gym back on January 16th. However, last season, Cal State Northridge defeated UCSB in the final match of the season at The Matadome. Senior opposite hitter Eckhard Walter leads the team with 5.03 kills per game. His average ranks sixth in the NCAA. He is also powerful from the service line with a NCAA best .613 service ace percentage. Sophomore libero Doug English is among the conference's best defensive players, averaging 2.35 digs per game in MPSF action, good for second in the conference.

Gauchos Come Close, Fall Short, 3-2 vs. No. 1 Pepperdine
Despite building a 2-1 game lead and a 16-7 advantage in the fourth game, the Gauchos fell short of defeating top-ranked Pepperdine, 27-30, 30-19, 28-30, 30-25, 15-9. Senior outside hitter Andy Rivera hammered 23 kills to lead all attackers. Junior outside hitter Jan Carlo Zegarra recorded 16 kills, nine digs and four blocks, including three solo blocks in the loss. Senior setter Britt Galang tallied 63 assists in the contest. Although, the Gauchos edged the Waves in kills, 72-68, Pepperdine put together a .266 hitting performance while holding UCSB to a .184 clip.

In The Numbers
It is the story of thirds for UCSB in the MPSF statistics this week as the Gauchos rank third in the conference in four different staistical categories. UCSB is third behind Pepperdine and Stanford with its .351 conference hitting percentage. The Gauchos are also third in kills per game, averaging 16.27 as a team. Rounding out the statistics, UCSB ranks third in blocking average (5.59) and assist average (15.16). Sophomore middle blocker Justin Adams has also found a home in the third spot with a 1.43 blocking average. Senior setter Britt Galang ranks third in the MPSF with a 14.00 assist average.