Dec. 12, 2002
Santa Barbara, Calif. - Serving as an NCAA Tournament Regional host for the first time ever, the eighth-seeded UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team could not capitalize on its home court advantage, suffering a 30-22, 30-23, 25-30, 30-19 Sweet 16 defeat at the hands of Pepperdine in the Thunderdome Thursday night.
With their NCAA West Regional loss, the Gauchos conclude the 2002 season with a 30-3 overall record and the highest winning percentage (.909) in school history. Ninth-sedeed Pepperdine, which improved to 26-6, has advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history, where the Waves will meet No. 1 USC.
The first two games were dominated by the visitors, with UCSB's only lead coming during the early stages of the first frame. However Pepperdine broke things open with a 3-0 run to pull ahead 16-11, and then made the scoreboard read 25-18 following a well-placed tip by freshman Breegan Mulligan. The Waves then won four points in a row to close game one, in which they hit a collective .450.
The closest Santa Barbara got in game two was 18-16, when a Pepperdine error forced head coach Nina Matthies to call timeout. Her troops responded by winning six of the next seven points before the host team reeled off three in a row, capped by junior Francina Edmonds' kill of an overpass. However the Gauchos would only score three more times the rest of the frame as the Waves took a 2-0 lead into the locker rooms following a big block from Mulligan and junior Stacey Rowenhorst.
The UCSB offense finally came alive in game three as the squad registered a collective .444 hitting percentage. Trailing 21-18, Santa Barbara went on a 5-0 run which included three put-aways from senior outside hitter Courtney Guerra. The visitors could pull no closer than two points the rest of the way, giving most of the 1,959 fans in attendance a reason for optimism.
The two longtime Southern California rivals didn't give each other much breathing room at the outset of game four until Pepperdine captured four straight points, capped by one of junior Katie Wilkins' match-high 22 kills that gave her team a 23-16 advantage. The Waves' lead then grew to 26-17 after a solo block from Wilkins, and Mulligan's unassisted slam following a long rally was followed by a Pepperdine celebration at center court.
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Mulligan and junior middle blocker Lindsay Hache each racked up 12 kills while Rouwenhorst had 11 for Pepperdine, which hit an impressive .305 on the evening to help offset 15 team service errors. Senior Paola Rodriguez was stellar at setter with 56 assists and 14 digs.
The Gauchos received 13 put-aways apiece from junior Erica Menzel and senior Danielle Bauer, playing her final collegiate match along with Guerra and setter Brooke Niles. Menzel added a team-high 14 scoops for her 24th double-double in 2002. UCSB junior Francna Edmonds connected at a team-best .300 with nine kills, a total matched by Guerra. However Santa Barbara hit just .222 collectively and was out-blocked eight to five.
The NCAA West Regional Final in the Thunderdome between USC and Pepperdine will begin at 7:00 p.m. The match will be broadcast live by Fox Sports West 2 in Southern California, while tickets can be purchased outside the Thunderdome beginning at 6:00 p.m.
