Nov. 29, 2006

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

The Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 30 -
NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament First Round:
Match #1: UC Santa Barbara vs. BYU, 5 p.m.
Match #2: No. 5 USC vs. Mississippi, 7 p.m.
at USC's Galen Center

Friday, Dec. 1 -
NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament Second Round:
Winner Match #1 vs. Winner Match #2, 7 p.m.
at USC's Galen Center

Gauchos Carry Five Match Win Streak Into NCAA Tourney
The UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team (19-11, 8-6 Big West) will head to Los Angeles, Calif. this week for their 26th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament. The Gauchos, who currently are riding a five-match win streak, their longest this season, will face No. 22 ranked BYU (24-5, 13-3 MWC) in their first round match at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday in USC's Galen Center. The Gaucho and Cougar pairing will be followed by a first-round match between Ole Miss (19-12, 10-10 SEC) and host No. 5 seed USC (25-4, 14-4 Pac-10) at 7 p.m. with the winner of each match advancing to the tournament's second round which will be played on Friday at 7 p.m., also in the Galen Center.

No Excuse to Miss Out
Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children, students and seniors for a single session. An all-session pass that is good for both days is $15 for adults and $12 for children, students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the Galen Center box office.

All of this week's match-ups will be on Gametracker as well as video streamed on the web by USC, both services are free of charge. Hit up the women's volleyball schedule page on ucsbgauchos.com to find links to both. KCSB 91.9 FM in Santa Barbara will also be broadcasting from Thursday's match. The station also provides a web cast on www.kcsb.org.

Keeping the Tradition Alive
With its at-large berth this season, UCSB remains one of only three schools - including Penn State and Stanford - that has competed in all 26 NCAA Championships dating back to the tournament's inception in 1981. Last season the Gauchos were awarded an at-large bid and faced No. 12 USC in the first round on the Trojan's home court. UCSB captured a 30-27 game one win before falling 22-30, 24-30, 22-30 to end their postseason run. Since 1997, the Gauchos have made three Elite Eight and two Sweet Sixteen appearances and overall UCSB has posted a collective 21-25 record in NCAA tournament matches.

UCSB is Thankful for a Pair of Wins
Last weekend the Gauchos were perfect in their regular season finale at the Baden Thanksgiving Classic held in Long Beach, Calif. UCSB tallied two 3-1 wins on Friday, Nov. 24 over first-time opponents Albany and Western Michigan. The Gauchos took a 30-28, 25-30, 30-18, 30-25 win over the Great Danes in the tournament opener before following up with a 30-26, 30-28, 28-30, 30-25 win over the Broncos later in the day. Gaucho setter Stephanie Brandt set a school record for the most assists in a match since rally scoring was implemented in 2001 with 73 helpers in Friday's pairing with Western Michigan.

The Gaucho Reign Ends
After capturing four consecutive Big West titles (2002-05), the Gaucho's reign as defending champions ended as No. 16 Cal Poly captured the conference title for the first time in 22 years with a 13-1 mark. Last season's co-champion Long Beach State sealed up second place with a 12-2 mark and the Gauchos captured third place with their 8-6 record. The last time UCSB finished third in conference was in 2001 and the last time the Gauchos tallied eight or fewer conference victories was in 1984, their first season as a member of the Big West. Santa Barbara continued its tradition of winning season's however - in the 23 years as a member of the conference, the Gauchos have never posted a BWC record below .500.

The Gregory Goods
Kathy Gregory is the only coach UCSB women's volleyball has ever known, guiding the program to a 784-327 record since accepting the reigns of the team in 1975. In her 31 years at the helm - the longest tenure in the history of Gaucho Athletics - "The Queen" has guided Santa Barbara to 20 or more victories 26 times, while her teams have finished the season ranked amongst the nation's top-25 on 28 occasions. She can boast five NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in the past eight years (including three Elite Eights) as well as National Coach of the Year honors in 1993. Gregory, a member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame, has also led UCSB to an appearance in every one of the NCAA Tournaments.

Cougar Tracks
No. 20 BYU, which finished the regular season with an overall record of 24-5 and 13-3 Mountain West Conference mark, will be making its 23rd appearance in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament. The Cougars most recently faced an upset loss to San Diego State at the MWC Tournament last Thursday, falling 3-2 to the Aztecs. Chelsea Goodman leads the Cougars with 418 kills this season, good for a 4.45 kills per game average and she also has a team-leading 0.32 ace per game average. Lindsy Hartsok has a team-leading .388 hitting percentage which ranks 20th nationally and Amy Schlauder is 24th nationally with 13.12 assists per game. Annie Pinegar has a team-leading 327 digs, 3.21 per game.

BYU leads the all-time series with UCSB 6-9-1 and has won the last three contests including a 3-0 win on September 26, 2001. The two teams have faced-off once before in a NCAA first-round match in the tournament's inaugural year when the Gauchos captured a five-game win on December 11, 1981 in Provo, Utah.

Trojan Talk
Fifth-seeded USC enters this week's first round with a 25-4 record and a 14-4 Pac-10 mark, which landed them in fourth place in the competitive conference. The Women of Troy are six-time national champions having grabbed the title in 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 2002, and 2003. Asia Kaczor leads all Trojans with 511 kills this season and a 4.96 kill per game average, she has also posted a .307 clip on the season. Taylor Carico averages 12.71 assists per game while Debora Seilhamer has a team-leading 6.40 digs per game. Former Gaucho Bethany Johansen averages 1.13 blocks per game for USC.

USC has won the last four match-ups with the Gauchos, including last season's NCAA first-round match. The Trojans hold a 17-10 series advantage with UCSB and the last Gaucho win was a 3-2 decision on November 27, 1999 in Long Beach, Calif.

Rebel Rumblings
Ole Miss has received its first-ever invitation to the NCAA tournament after posting a 19-12 overall record this season and finishing 10-10 in the Southeastern Conference. Jaclyn Toohey leads the Rebels with a 4.07 kills per game average and teammate Katie Kramer has posted a team-high 430 total kills on the season. Rachel Kieckhaefer averages 12.12 assists per game and Tara Langley's 3.93 digs per game is tops amongst the Rebels. If both the Gauchos and Ole Miss advance to the second round, it will be the first meeting between the two teams.

The Magic Number Twenty
In Thursday's match with BYU, the Gauchos will not only be fighting for a chance to advance to the tournament's second round, but also for their twentieth win of the season. In the program's 32-year history, UCSB has posted 26 seasons with 20 or more wins, including the past two seasons.

Taking On the Top
The Cougars, who are ranked 22nd in the latest CSTV/AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll, are the sixth ranked team the Gauchos have faced this season. UCSB has posted a 1-4 record against ranked teams with the lone win coming against then-ranked No. 11 Wisconsin in five games at the USD Invitational. Pepperdine, who was unranked when the Gauchos defeated them 3-0 October 10, is now ranked No. 24 to give the Gauchos a 2-4 record against teams currently in the coaches' poll.

The Best Brett
Junior Brett Quirarte had a standout day at the Baden Thanksgiving Classic last Friday. The Long Beach, Calif. opened with a 13 kill, error-free performance against Albany followed by a career-high 25 kills on 37 attempts with only two errors for a .622 clip against Western Michigan later in the evening. For her performance, Quirarte was named the Santa Barbara News Press Female Athlete of the Week. The 6'3" middle blocker, who earned her second consecutive First Team All-Big West honor last week, is ranked sixth in the conference with her .321 clip on the season and she leads UCSB with a 1.10 block per game average.

A Record Outing
Freshman Stephanie Brandt set a UCSB record for most assists in a match since rally scoring was implemented in 2001 with 73 helpers against Western Michigan, she also added a team-leading 16 scoops for her seventh double-double performance this season. The setter has recorded 1,290 total assists on the season and just 18 more will rank her amongst the top-10 single season assist leaders in the Gaucho record books. The Irvine, Calif. native has also recorded a team and conference leading 41 aces this season for .40 per game average. For her standout freshman campaign, Brandt, along with teammate Rebecca Saraceno were named to the All-Big West Freshmen Team.

Waldowski Wallops The Competition
Middle blocker Olivia Waldowski continues to dominate the conference with her .401 hitting percentage and is currently ranked 13th amongst Division I players. The four-time All-Big West honoree led UCSB with 22.5 points against Albany with 19 kills, a .486 clip, two service aces and three block assists on Friday. Waldowski did not let up as she put down 17 kills, posted a .452 clip and collected four total blocks in the following match against the Broncos. The Irvine, Calif. native is seventh in the Big West with her 3.53 kill per game average and is second on the team with 0.98 blocks per game. The 6'3" senior currently ranks third in the Gaucho history books for block assists (369), fourth for total blocks (419), tied fifth in aces (136) and is on pace to take the top spot for career hitting percentage with a .365 four-season clip.

It's Double Time!
Outside hitter Jamie Garbisch has posted a four-match streak of double-double performances, most recently tallying 22 kills, 12 digs against Albany and 18 kills, 15 digs against Western Michigan, both on November 24. The 5'11 senior leads the team with 15 double-double performances this year and holds a team-leading 3.98 kill per game average, ranking fourth in the Big West. For her breakout year, Garbisch has earned All-Big West First Team accolades, the first conference honor of her career. In addition to leading the team in kills, the Anaheim, Calif. native is second in service aces with 35 and second in digs with a 2.79 per game average.

Digging Her Way to the Top
Senior libero Emily Hendrickson, who led the Big West this season in digs for 11 weeks, is currently second in the BWC with her 5.28 scoop per game average. A First-Team All-Big West selection, Hendrickson combined for 34 digs between last Friday's two matches. The Long Beach, Calif. native has helped pace the Gauchos defensively as they rank second as a team amongst the conference with 17.15 digs per game. Hendrickson's performance over the weekend lifted her to 1,505 career digs and she stands only 10 digs away from tying the Gaucho single season scoop record at 591 total.

Grabbing Game One
A key to Gaucho success much of this season has been winning the first frame of a match. The Gauchos have posted a 17-2 record in matches where they have done just that, with the only losses coming against Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton. In terms of sweeping the first two games, the Gauchos have posted a perfect 13-0 record in all matches where they have done just that.

Offensive Minded
UCSB currently ranks second in the Big West in assists (14.24 per game) and kills (15.55 per game) in addition to ranking third with a team clip of .223. The Gauchos have shown time and time again this season that it is their offense that wins games: UCSB has posted a near-perfect 17-1 record when they lead a match in kills and are 14-1 in matches where they outhit their opponent.