Nov. 23, 2004

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Another Big West Conference championship, another cornucopia of all-league awards for the UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team in 2004.

The conference announced its postseason accolades on Tuesday and the Gauchos were well-represented, led by their head coach Kathy Gregory who earned her third consecutive Big West Coach of the Year honor after guiding UCSB to its third straight league crown. It is the fifth career award for Gregory, now in her 30th season at the school. She has led her squad to a 23-3 overall record and a No. 17 national ranking this season, while Santa Barbara's 16-2 conference mark is its third-best in 21 years of Big West competition.

The Gauchos also placed four players on the All-Big West First Team, more than any of the other nine league schools. Making her second straight appearance on the first team is senior libero Kristin Nelson, who ranks seventh in the entire nation with a 6.28 digs per game average. In UCSB's regular season finale at UC Davis on Sunday, Nov. 21, she became the Big West's all-time leader in career digs and will enter the postseason with 1,691 scoops as a Gaucho. Nelson's 540 digs in 2004 currently rank as the third-highest single-season total in Gaucho history and are 41-shy of that record. On Nov. 14 the Manhattan Beach, Calif., native became the first libero ever to earn Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week honors after averaging 8.60 digs in road wins at Long Beach State and UC Irvine, two of her 12 matches in 2004 with 20 or more scoops. Nelson has led the Gauchos in digs all but once this year.

Also repeating as a First Team All-Big West performer is junior middle blocker Megan Blackshire. Her .389 hitting percentage this season is 20th-best in the NCAA Division I ranks, while Blackshire's .349 career mark is currently a school record. The Capistrano Beach, Calif., native has amassed double-digit kills 18 times this season, including all three matches of the season-opening SDSU Invitational where she was named tournament MVP.

A pair of UCSB sophomores are making their inaugural appearance on the all-conference first team. After earning Big West Freshman of the Year honors in 2003, middle blocker Olivia Waldowski has taken her game to new heights this season, especially defensively where her 1.45 blocks per game average leads the league and is currently the fourth-highest single season mark ever by a Gaucho. The Irvine, Calif., native also ranks second in the Big West with 0.55 service aces per game, while her .341 hitting percentage is sixth- best. Waldowski can boast 10 or more scoops in 15 different matches this season.

Outside hitter Janine Sandell has also enjoyed a breakthrough second season, leading Santa Barbara with her 4.27 kills per game, fifth among all Big West players. She has slammed home double-digit put-aways in all but four of UCSB's 26 matches this season, including four contests with 20 or more slams. The native of London, England has dramatically improved defensively in 2004, averaging 3.30 digs per game while amassing all 12 double-doubles of her career. Sandell earned her first Big West Player of the Week award on Nov. 1.

Rounding out the Gauchos' all-league selections are Big West All-Freshman Team members Ashley Dutro and Bethany Johansen. Dutro's breakout performance came as she led Santa Barbara to a pair of sweeps over nationally-ranked teams at the Golden Bear Invitational. The setter from Sunnyvale, Calif., averaged 12.5 assists and 3.16 digs in Berkeley en route to tournament MVP acclaim. Her career high of 56 helpers came in a Nov. 5 win over Idaho. Meanwhile Johansen, an opposite hitter from San Jose, Calif., owns a .347 hitting percentage that is currently fourth-best in the Big West. She can claim six double-digit kill performances, including a personal best 13 without an error on 19 swings (.684) as UCSB won at Pacific to avenge an earlier loss.

The Gauchos, currently riding a 13-match winning streak, will make their 24th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004. The 64-team field will be announced on ESPNews on Sunday, Nov. 28 at 1:40 p.m. PST.