Dec. 7, 1999

Santa Barbara, Calif.

- The Schedule
Pacific Regional • NCAA Tournament Championship
Stanford, CA (Maples Pavilion)
Thursday, December 9, 1999
UCSB vs. Nebraska, 5:00 p.m.
Arizona vs. Stanford, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, December 3, 1999
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7:00 p.m.

On The Air
KCSB 91.1 FM in Santa Barbara will carry all of UCSB's NCAA Tournament matches. Steve Wendt will bring you all the action from courtside on Thursday. If you are outside of Santa Barbara, KCSB can be heard on the internet at www.KCSB.org.

Gauchos Reach Sweet Sixteen
For the thrid season in a row UCSB has reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Last season, the Gauchos advanced to the regional semifinal in Lincoln, Nebraska where they lost a five-game thriller to Wisconsin. In 1997 UCSB traveled to Palo Alto where they defeated Texas in the Sweet 16 before they lost to eventual National Champion Stanford in the Elite 8.

The Queen's Court
UC Santa Barbara head coach Kathy Gregory became the 14th Division I women's volleyball coach in history to record 600 career victories when the Gauchos defeated the University of Illinois in this season's opener. Currently the tenth-winningest active coach in the nation, Gregory enters postseason play with a career record of 627-268 (.701) and is in her 24th season of coaching Division I women's volleyball, all at Santa Barbara. Gregory has guided UCSB to all 19 NCAA Tournaments, one of only four schools (the others are Pacific, Penn State and Stanford) to compete in every postseason since '81.

Gauchos in the NCAA
UC Santa Barbara has appeared in every NCAA Tournament Championship since its inception in 1981. The Gauchos are 14-18 in postseason play, with six of those wins coming in the last three seasons. UCSB has won two postseason matches in each of the last three seasons. In 1997, before the 64-team format, UCSB had a bye in the opening round and won two matches to reach the Regional Finals.

G2K
With 515 kills during the regular season, senior outside hitter Roberta Gehlke finished the regular season with 2,090 career kills and now has 2,119, the most in Gaucho history and second most in the history of the Big West Conference. Gehlke, who had her jersey retired in the Gauchos' regular season home finale, has led the Big West in kills per game for three straight seasons. The Huntington Beach native has tallied double-digit kill totals in 29 of 30 matches this season.

Twenty Spot
At 28-5 on the season, UCSB has hit the twenty-win plateau for the 11th season in a row. In the 25 years of Gaucho women's volleyball, Kathy Gregory has guided the program to at least 20 victories 22 times.

Big West Style
Four teams from the Big West Conference were selected to compete in the 1999 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament Championship, all from the Western Division. Pacific and Long Beach State are still alive and join the Gauchos in their quest for a title.

Robi's World
Co-Big West Player of the Year, senior outside hitter Roberta Gehlke enters the Pacific Regional with averages of 5.39 kills and 4.08 digs per game, both tops in the Big West Conference. Gehlke has recorded double-digit kills in 29 of the 30 matches she has played in this season and double-digit digs 23 times. The Huntington Beach native has notched 15 or more kills in a match 19 times this year, 20 or more nine times, and thirty or more three times. The two time AVCA All-American set a career-high and Gaucho record with 38 kills in a four-game match at Long Beach State in September. She broke her own record of 36 kills in a match she set 12 days earlier in Gainesville, Florida when she pounded 36 kills against the Gators. Gehlke finished the regular season with a .279 hitting percentage, the highest mark of her career. She hit .300 or better 16 times in 1999, .400 or better seven times and better than .500 twice this season. She was named the Most Valuable Player of both tournaments UCSB played in this season, the Georgia Tech Courtyard by Marriott Classic and the University Centre Hotel Invitational hosted by the University of Florida. Gehlke was named First Team All-Big West for the fourth time in her career last week, and is a legitimate candidate for AVCA National Player of the Year this season.

Rundle's Bundle
After a fantastic freshman season, when she was named a Freshman All-American, sophomore setter Brooke Rundle finished her second season as a Gaucho being named First Team All-Big West for the second time. The Westlake Village native enters the Neraska match averaging 13.61 assists per game, a mark that is 14th in the nation. Rundle led an offense that finished with a .286 hitting percentage, the eleventh best mark in the nation. Her 1,291 total assists were tops in the Big West, and 226 digs were tops among Big West setters. She finished the regular season with eight double-digit dig performances, and a career-best 21 dig effort at Florida.

Orange Crush
Senior outside hitter Charlene Conley enters the Regional with an average of 3.12 kills per game, second among Gauchos. A Second Team All-Big West selection this season, Conley has recorded double-digit kills ten times in 1999, including both NCAA Tournament matches. Conley was recently named a GTE Academic-All-American for District VIII, for the second time in as many years.

The Niles File
Freshman outside hitter Brooke Niles became the third Gaucho in four years to be named the Big West Freshman of the Year in 1999. The Woodland Hills native enters her first NCAA Regional averaging 2.77 kills and 2.90 digs per game. The Second Team All-Big West selection currently holds a .313 hitting percentage. She has played in more games (108) than any other Gaucho this year, and has the second most total attacks (722) and second most digs (313) among Gauchos.

Foreign Flava
Sophomore middle blocker Jutta Weissenborn enters the 1999 Pacific Regional with averages of 2.99 kills and 2.40 digs per game. The First Team All-Big West selection has complied 15 double-digit kill performances and ten double-digit dig efforts this season. The Duesseldorf, Germany native was named Big West Player of the Week on November 2nd, after the Gauchos' victories over Cal Poly and the University of Idaho. Her .305 hitting percentage on the year is third among Gauchos, and her 108 games played is second. Weissenborn is the team's top blocker with an average of 0.98 per game. She also leads the team with 49 service aces and a 0.46 aces per game average.

For Christ Sake
Senior middle blocker Michelle Christ enters the Nebraska match with an average of 1.97 kills per game and a team leading .323 hitting percentage. The Laguna Beach native has accumulated six double-digit kill performances this season, all within the last thirteen UCSB matches. Her ten digs and seven blocks against LMU were both season-highs. Her 76 total blocks are second most among Gauchos.

Check Mate
Sophomore defensive specialist Desireé Rook enters the NCAA Regional averaging 2.05 digs per game. Her 106 games played is tied for second among Gauchos. She has accumulated seven double-digit dig matches as a sophomore, including a career-high 18 digs against Long Beach State at the Thunderdome, and ten vs. LMU in the NCAA Second Round.