Jan. 22, 2003

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The 2002 UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team was rewarded for one of the most successful seasons in school history with a final national ranking of No. 8 according to the American Volleyball Coaches' Association.

The Gauchos finished the 2002 campaign with a 30-3 overall record (.909) - the highest winning percentage in school history - following a 3-1 loss to Pepperdine in the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals on Dec. 13. With its 18-0 Big West mark, UCSB won an outright league title for the first time ever and became just the seventh team ever to run the conference table. Meanwhile, Santa Barbara's 23-match winning streak to open the season established a new school record.

The Gauchos have finished ranked amongst the nation's top-25 teams 25 times in program history, including four top-10 appearances in the past six years. In both 1997 and 1999 UCSB finished sixth, its highest ranking ever.

Santa Barbara will tentatively return 11 letterwinners for the 2003 season.