Dec. 7, 2004

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The three-time defending Big West Conference champion UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team was further rewarded for its outstanding 2004 season as four Gauchos received All-West Region honors from the American Volleyball Coaches' Association, it was announced Tuesday.

Leading the way is senior libero Kristin Nelson, who earned a spot on the 12-player all-region team for the first time in her illustrious career; the squad includes student-athletes from the Big West, Mountain West and Western Athletic Conferences. Nelson finished the year with 560 digs - the second-highest single-season total in Santa Barbara history - while scoops per game average of 6.09 currently ranks 10th among all Division I players. The Manhattan Beach, Calif., native broke a 20-year-old Big West Conference record for career digs, finishing with 1,711 as a Gaucho. On Nov. 14 Nelson 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. The two-time First Team All-Big West performer led UCSB in digs all but once this season. Nelson now becomes a candidate for All-America honors, which will be announced next week.

Three other Gauchos who joined Nelson on the all-conference first team were named honorable mention all-region by the AVCA, comprising half of those six selections. A repeat performer is junior middle blocker Megan Blackshire, who established a UCSB record for single-season hitting percentage by connecting at a .389 clip that also ranks 18th-best nationally in 2004. The Capistrano Beach, Calif., native amassed double-digit kills 19 times this season, including all three matches of the season-opening SDSU Invitational where she was named tournament MVP. Meanwhiile her career hitting percentage of .349 is also tops in Gaucho annals.

A pair of UCSB sophomores are making their inaugural appearance on the AVCA All-West Region list. After earning Big West Freshman of the Year honors in 2003, middle blocker Olivia Waldowski has took her game to new heights this season, especially defensively where her 1.42 blocks per game average led the Big West and ranked as the fourth-highest single season mark ever by a Gaucho. The Irvine, Calif., native also ranks second in the Big West with 0.53 service aces per game, while her .347 hitting percentage is sixth- best. Waldowski can boast 10 or more scoops in 17 different matches this season, including the NCAA Tournament opener on Dec. 3 where she registered a .688 attacking percentage that was the highest ever by UCSB player during the Big Dance.

Outside hitter Janine Sandell has also enjoyed a breakthrough second season, leading Santa Barbara with her 4.28 kills per game, fifth among all Big West players. She slammed home double-digit put-aways in all but four of UCSB's 28 matches on the year, including four contests with 20 or more slams. The native of London, England dramatically improved defensively in 2004, averaging 3.18 digs per game while amassing all 12 double-doubles of her career. Sandell earned her first-ever Big West Player of the Week award on Nov. 1.

After falling at Georgia Tech in the second round of the Big Dane on Dec. 4, Santa Barbara finished 2004 with a 24-4 overall record under 30-year head coach Kathy Gregory. The Gauchos enjoyed a 14-match winning streak, while their 16-2 Big West mark was their third-best in 21 years of competing in the league. UCSB - currently ranked 19th nationally in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll - remained one of only four programs to qualify for all 24 NCAA Championships dating back to the tournament's inception in 1981.