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Dec. 4, 2002

The Schedule
NCAA Tournament * Santa Barbara, CA * The Thunderdome (6,000)
First Round * Friday, December 6, 2002
Match 1 * No. 14 Santa Clara (24-6) vs. California (19-11) * 5:00 p.m.
Match 2 * No. 7 UC Santa Barbara (28-2) vs. Fresno State (23-6) * 7:00 p.m.
Second Round * Saturday, December 7, 2002
Match 3 * Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2 * 7:00 p.m.

UCSB Seeded Eighth; Hopes to Give Kathy Gregory 700th Career Win
Seventh-ranked UC Santa Barbara has been seeded No. 8 in the 2002 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships, and was chosen as one of 16 host institutions for first and second round competition when the 64-team field was revealed on Sunday, Dec. 1 on ESPNews. The Big West Conference Champion Gauchos will open tournament play in the Thunderdome on Friday, Dec. 6 against Fresno State, a team they defeated in four games earlier this season. Another triumph over the Bulldogs would be the 700th career victory for 28-year Santa Barbara head coach Kathy Gregory. The UCSB-FSU showdown will begin at 7:00 p.m., or 30 minutes after the completion of Friday's other first-round matchup in the Thunderdome between 14th-ranked Santa Clara and California, slated for a 5:00 p.m. start. The winner of each contest will then meet on Saturday, Dec. 7 for the right to advance to NCAA West Regional play the following weekend at a location yet to be determined.

Gauchos on the Air
KCSB, 91.9 FM in Santa Barbara, will broadcast all of the Gauchos' NCAA Tournament matches live. Danny MacLeith and Oskar Garcia will be courtside in the Thunderdome to call all the action this weekend. All tourney matches involving UCSB can also be heard via the internet by pointing your browser to www.ucsbgauchos.com and purchasing the "College Sports Pass."

Gauchos in the Midst of Dream Season
The Gauchos' achievements during the 2002 regular season were so numerous, it's tough to pick a place to start. How about with UCSB's first-ever outright Big West Conference title in 19 years of league competition? With an 18-0 Big West record, Santa Barbara became just the seventh team in history run the table in conference play. Thirteen of those league victories came during the Gauchos' 23-match winning streak to open the year, establishing a new school record. At 28-2, UCSB is already assured of finishing 2002 with the fewest losses in school history and its highest winning percentage ever. Included in that victory total are four wins over fellow top-25 opponents, two of which came against Big West rival Long Beach State, currently ranked ninth nationally.

Probable Starters			Notes
#4 * Kristin Nelson * So. * L	 	Double-digit digs 26 times this season
#5 * Megan Blackshire * Fr. * Opp.	Named Big West co-Freshman of the Year
#7 * Courtney Guerra * Sr. * OH		13 double-double performances in 2002
#8 * Erica Menzel * Jr. * OH		Conference-leading 4.25 digs per game
#10 * Francina Edmonds * Jr. * Opp.	15 kills vs. Northridge, matching career best
#12 * Danielle Bauer * Sr. * MB/OH	2002 Big West Conference Player of the Year
#16 * Brooke Niles * Sr. * S		14.13 assists per game rank second nationally

Reserves				Notes
#2 * Mari Bell * So. * S			Back-up setter with 94 assists on the season
#3 * Quinn Dibble * Fr. * S/L		Serving specialist; seven digs vs. Air Force
#9 * Geneva Lynn * Fr. * DS/L		Personal best five digs in 11/15 win over UCR
#11 * Becky Twohey * RS-Fr. * S		12 assists, two kills in five games played
#13 * Linda Wang * Fr. * MB		Appeared in nine games on the year
#14 * Theresa Botsford * Fr. * MB	Has yet to take the court this season
#17 * Niki Carroll * So. * MB		Missed Sept. with injury; 20 games played
#20 * Amy Sarkaria * So. * OH/MB	14 total kills; Big West All-Academic honoree

No Surprises
The headline above might as well read "Almost Certain Starters", since the Gauchos have fielded the same starting lineup in all but one match this season. In that lone exception - a win at UC Riverside on Oct. 19 - Amy Sarkaria started in place of Megan Blackshire, who fell victim to food poisoning.

The Gregory File
Kathy Gregory is the only coach UCSB women's volleyball has ever known, guiding the program to a 699-293 (.705) record since accepting the reigns of the team in 1975. In her 28 years at the helm of the Gauchos "The Queen" has guided Santa Barbara to 20 or more victories 24 times, while her teams have finished the season ranked amongst the nation's top-25 on 24 occasions. Gregory can boast three NCAA Elite Eight appearances in the past five years as well as National Coach of the Year honors in 1993. She is currently the fifth-winningest active coach in the Division I ranks and a member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame.

NCAA Tournament Tradition
You'll hear this statistic mentioned often, because the Gauchos are quite proud of it. With its automatic berth this season, UCSB remains one of only four schools - along with Pacific, Penn State and Stanford - to compete in all 22 NCAA Championships dating back to the tournament's inception in 1981. Santa Barbara is also serving as a host institution for the 17th time. Most of the Gauchos' NCAA tourney success has come in recent years, with three Elite Eight and one Sweet 16 appearances since 1997. Last season's five-game loss to San Diego marked UCSB's first opening-round exit from the Big Dance since 1992. In its 21 previous NCAA appearances, UCSB has posted a collective 18-21 record.

Bear Basics
Making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1989, California currently stands at 19-11 overall. The Golden Bears finished eighth in the Pac-10 Conference with a 7-11 record, but did score five wins over nationally-ranked teams, including a 3-2 victory at Santa Clara on Nov. 19. Sophomore All-Pac-10 outside hitter Mia Jerkov missed that contest with an injury, but is back and leads Cal with a 5.88 kills per game average that ranks fifth nationally. UCSB has won 11 of its previous 15 meetings with the Bears, including a 3-1 decision on Sept. 5, 1998. Gaucho senior outside hitter Courtney Guerra played for Cal in 1999 - appearing in all 28 matches - before transferring to Santa Barbara for the following season.

Bulldog Bulletin
Fresno State enters NCAA Tournament play with a 23-6 overall record, most recently losing 3-1 in the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament at host Nevada on Nov. 23. The Bulldogs posted a 10-3 WAC regular-season record to finish second in the league, and are making their first appearance in the NCAA's since 1998. Senior Kristen Fenton leads FSU with a 3.88 kills per game average, and tallied 11 put-aways in a 30-26, 27-30, 30-19, 30-22 loss to the Gauchos in the championship match of the Fresno State Invitational on Sept 7. Erica Menzel slammed home 18 balls in that contest to lead UCSB, which raised its all-time record against Fresno to 20-4.

Bronco Briefs
Following a 24-6 regular season and second-place finish in the West Coast Conference, Santa Clara comes to Santa Barbara as the nation's 14th-ranked team. The Broncos feature the nation's most prolific setter in junior Kelli Souza, who averages an incredible 14.44 assists per game, while junior outside hitter Becky Potter is no slouch herself, slamming home 5.33 kills per game. Santa Clara, coached by 1989 UCSB alumnus John Wallace, is just 2-13 all-time vs. the Gauchos, but swept Santa Barbara in the last meeting between the two schools on Sept. 8, 2001.

Gauchos Sweep All-Big West Awards
After completing Big West play undefeated, the Gauchos made a clean sweep of the league's 2002 postseason awards, announced on Nov. 25. Senior middle blocker Danielle Bauer became only the second Gaucho ever to earn Big West Player of the Year recognition and the first to be the sole possessor of the award as former UCSB great Roberta Gehlke shared top honors in 1999. Bauer was named to the All-Big West First Team for the third straight year, where she was joined by a trio of teammates - Courtney Guerra, Erica Menzel and Brooke Niles. Meanwhile Megan Blackshire became the fourth UCSB player in the past seven seasons to earn Big West Freshman of the Year accolades, splitting the award with Utah State's Zuzana Cerniaska. Not to be forgotten, Kathy Gregory was named Big West Coach of the Year for the third time in her illustrious career. Earlier this week the Big West released its list of all-academic honorees, bestowing such honors on Bauer, Niles and sophomore Amy Sarkaria.

Amongst the Big West's - and Nation's - Bests
UCSB find itself amongst the national and Big West Conference leaders in a number of important team statistical categories. The Gauchos' 17.49 kills per game top the league and, not surprisingly, so does their hitting percentage of .293. Those two stats ranked third and sixth-best amongst all Division I squads, respectively, as of Nov. 24. Santa Barbara leads the Big West in digs per game at 19.48, a figure that ranks seventh nationally and is over three scoops better than second-place UC Riverside. UCSB can also be found at fifth on the NCAA leaderboard in assists per game at 15.71, and has regained the league lead in that category from UC Irvine. All of the aforementioned marks are higher than those posted by the 17-14 Gauchos of 2001.

Poll Position
The Gauchos dropped one spot to No. 7 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches' Association/USA Today poll. Santa Barbara was ranked as high as No. 5 by the AVCA from Oct. 21-Nov. 3, and received one of the poll's 65 first-place votes on Nov. 4. In the preseason, UCSB was ranked 20th by the AVCA and 15th according to Volleyball Magazine, which has suspended publication and will not release another poll in 2002. In August the Big West coaches picked UCSB to finish third in the 10-team league, while Long Beach State was chosen to repeat as conference champion.

USC Spoils Gaucho Senior Night
UCSB concluded the 2002 regular season with a 30-28, 30-20, 30-26 loss to top-ranked USC on Tuesday, Nov. 26 in front of 2,794 fans in the Thunderdome. That ranks as the second-largest crowd in school history. The Gauchos had their opportunities to claim games one and three, but registered a season-low .116 hitting percentage en route to just their second loss of the year. Junior Katie Olsovsky had a match-high 15 kills for the Trojans, who improved to 25-1 entering the NCAA's.

Bauer of Power
After being named to the all-conference first team the past two seasons, Danielle Bauer took the next logical step in 2002 as she earned Big West Player of the Year accolades. The senior middle blocker/opposite hitter was an obvious choice for the league's top honor after leading the Big West Champion Gauchos in kills 20 times and failing to record double-digit put-aways just thrice in 30 matches. Bauer slammed home a season-best 23 balls in a pair or three-game contests - at UC Irvine and at Cal Poly - with the former performance leading to her second Big West Player of the Week award in 2002. Those totals helped propel the Santa Ana, Calif., native to No. 3 on UCSB's career kills list, just 39 shy of second place. Bauer closed the regular season ranked third in the conference in kills per game at 4.74 as well as sixth in both hitting percentage (.343) and blocks per game (1.16), leading the Gauchos in each category. Thanks to a digs per game average of 2.96, Bauer can also boast a total of 14 double-doubles on the season and 45 for her career.

The River Niles
Senior Brooke Niles also made a strong case for Big West Player of the Year honors, but received her first-ever all-conference first team award as a consolation prize. The native of Woodland Hills, Calif., has developed into one of the nation's finest setters, currently ranking second in the Division I ranks as of Nov. 24 with a 14.13 assists per game average. In her final league match on Nov. 25 at Cal State Northridge, Niles racked up career-bests of 61 helpers and 25 digs for one of her 15 double-doubles in 2002. She reached the 50-assist plateau 11 times and finished the regular season with an even 1,300 helpers, currently the ninth-best single season total in school history. One of the most versatile players in UCSB history and now a three-time All-Big West performer, Niles is also averaging 3.45 digs per game to rank sixth in the conference.

What About Erica?
Excellent question...I'm glad I asked myself that. The simple answer is that Erica is playing very well, as evident by her Big West-leading 21 double-doubles and a spot on the all-conference first team. The junior outside hitter from Santa Barbara earned her third career Big West Player of the Week award after matching her career best of 27 scoops - the second-highest total among conference players this season - in a Nov. 2 victory at Utah State, and amassed her personal best kill total of 24 in the following contest vs. No. 10 Pepperdine. Those totals have propelled Menzel to the top of the conference in digs per game at 4.25, and eighth on the league leaderbord in kills at 3.76. She has garnered postseason acclaim from the Big West all three years of her Gaucho career.

Courtney's Corner
It may be cliched, but the phrase "saving your best for last" truly applies to Courtney Guerra. After compiling the most kills (302) and digs (335) of her four-year collegiate career, the senior outside hitter was rewarded with her first-ever postseason accolades in the form of All-Big West First Team recognition. Guerra ranks sixth in the Big West at 3.35 digs per game, an average was bolstered by a career-high-tying 19 scoops at Cal Poly on Nov. 9. Perhaps not-so-coincidentally, her other 19-dig effort also came against the Mustangs in the Thunderdome earlier this year. Meanwhile Guerra's personal best of seven blocks - five of them solos - came in the home win on Oct. 25 over Long Beach State. The Simi Valley, Calif., native also amassed a season-high 17 kills against the 49ers for one of her 13 double-doubles in 2002. Her team-leading 10 kills and 13 digs vs. No. 1 USC was one of the few bright spots in the Gauchos' home finale.

Joining the Hit Parade
A pair of UCSB opposite hitters are also capable of flexing their offensive muscle. Newly-crowned Big West Co-Freshman of the Year Megan Blackshire racked up 13 kills in the Nov. 23 win at Cal State Northridge - her second-highest total as a collegian - while her hitting percentage of .786 in the season opener vs. Florida International (11k, 0e, 14a) ranks as the 10th-most accurate single-game mark in school history. Meanwhile Francina Edmonds, who entered 2002 with just 31 career kills over two seasons, has met every expectation placed on her by the UCSB coaching staff, slamming home 243 balls thus far and connecting at a robust .301 clip. The native of Jacksonville, Fla., matched her career best with 15 put-aways at Pacific, one of her 10 double-digit kill efforts in 2002.

Full Nelson
Finally space exists in this press release to lavish praise upon sophomore libero Kristin Nelson. Her career-high tying 21 digs at Cal State Northridge marked the 11th consecutive match she has scooped over 10 balls. Nelson has achieved such a feat 26 times this season, while she is one of four Gauchos amongst the Big West's top-ten in digs per game, ranking third at 3.83.

Rouse to Redshirt in 2002
A herniated disk in her back suffered during preseason training will force junior outside hitter Cami Rouse to redshirt the 2002 season. A transfer from Fresno City College, Rouse was a Junior College All-American last season and helped the Rams win their first-ever Central Valley Conference title in 2000. She was a first team all-league honoree both seasons and prepped at Bullard High School.

UCSB Inks Three During Fall Early Signing Period
On Nov. 20, Kathy Gregory announced the signing of three versatile outside hitters to National Letters of Intent. Long Beach, Calif., native Jamie Garbisch, Janine Sandell of Phoenix, Ariz., and Kristy Sather from Santa Rosa, Calif., will all join the Gauchos as freshmen for the 2003 season. The 5'11" Garbisch is a senior at Los Alamitos High School, which recently completed play in the CIF Southern Section 1-AA playoffs. She repeated as a First Team All-Sunset League honoree this season. A two-time Northwest Region Player of the Year, Sandell led Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Ariz., to a third place state finish last year. She is a strong candidate for Arizona State 5A Player of the Year honors in 2002. Sather will come to Santa Barbara as the No. 51-ranked high school senior in the country according to Student Sports Magazine. The tallest of UCSB's three recruits at 6'0", she was the North Bay League Most Valuable Player a season ago.