Nov. 20, 2007

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -

Complete All-Big West List in PDF Format

Three UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball players received All-Big West accolades it was announced today by the conference. Senior middle blocker Brett Quirarte earned her third straight first team nod while junior outside hitter Lauren McLaughlin earned her first. Freshman setter Dana Vargas was named to the All-Freshman Team.

Quirarte, who received first team accolades the past two seasons, has led UCSB this season with her .331 season clip, which ranks fifth amongst all Big West players. The Long Beach, Calif. native has also led the team with 1.15 blocks per game, ranking ninth in the conference. The senior, who will complete her career this weekend in her hometown, has found her way into the UCSB record books during her four-year career, ranking eighth all-time for block assists (282), tenth for total blocks (337), and sixth for career hitting percentage (.310).

This is the second all-conference honor for McLaughlin, who was named to the 2005 All-Big West Freshman Team. The Torrance, Calif. native has led UCSB this season with her 4.33 kills per game, which ranks fourth in the Big West. She has posted 19 double-doubles this season and is second on the team with her average of 3.11 digs per game. Last Saturday, McLaughlin surpassed 1,000 career kills in a match against UC Riverside; she now has 1,005 in her three-year career at UCSB.

Vargas was named to the All-Freshman Team after posting a team-leading 11.29 assists per game, ranking sixth amongst Big West setters. Additionally, she has posted a .389 clip with 0.59 kills per game and 2.18 digs per game. She has had 10 matches this season with double-digit assists and digs.

Kylie Athersone of Cal Poly earned her second consecutive Big West Player of the Year honor and Mustang head coach Jon Stevenson has earned his second Big West Coach of the Year nod after leading Cal Poly to back-to-back conference crowns. Kari Pestolesi of UC Irvine was named Big West Freshman of the Year.

UCSB will conclude the 2007 season on the road at the Baden Thanksgiving Classic being hosted by Long Beach State this week. The Gauchos will face Temple on Friday, Nov. 23 at 3 p.m. On Saturday they will play Yale and Pittsburgh at 12 and 5 p.m., respectively.