Sept. 10, 2005

Box Score

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The 18th-ranked UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team ended its brief two-match losing streak Friday evening with a 32-30, 30-22, 30-27 sweep of Fresno State on day two of the Bronco Invitational.

With the win inside Santa Clara's Leavey Center, the Gauchos improved to 3-2 on the young season. Meanwhile the Bulldogs remain winless in the tournament and now stand at 2-4 overall.

UCSB nearly gave away the first frame by squandering two game points, the second coming on a kill by Fresno's Mounia Nihipali that tied the score at 30-30. However Santa Barbara regrouped to win the next two points, with the clincher courtesy of Emily Hendrickson's put-away. Both teams struggled offensively, hitting below .200 in the opening frame.

After getting off to a hot start in game two - opening a lead as wide as 9-2 - the Gauchos let FSU creep back to within 18-16. However the Western Athletic Conference school - coached by Santa Barbara native Rueben Nieves - would get no closer as UCSB rode a .297 hitting percentage to victory.

The third frame was nearly as competitive as the first. Fresno State took a quick lead in the third game as La'akea Campell's serving helped spark a 6-2 start for the Bulldogs. UCSB recovered though, and evened the game at 7-7 after a kill from Megan Blackshire. The Bulldogs kept the lead though, and opened a cushion as wide as 17-10 following another Campbell slam. The Gauchos recovered, though, and came to within two of the Bulldogs at 18-16. The teams began to trade sideouts, until Santa Barbara rallied within one at 24-23, and then finally went ahead at 26-25. Fresno State regained the lead at 27-26, but the Gauchos answered back with two points of their own for a 28-27 advantage. UCSB finished off the game with two more points to take a 30-27 win.

Junior outside hitter Janine Sandell was the only Gaucho to amass double-figures, slamming home 11 kills, while freshman libero Brittany San Jose was the only one to register ten-plus digs with 13. Sophomore setter Ashley Dutro quarterbacked the Santa Barbara offense and racked up 27 assists. UCSB's defense was impressive, with middle blockers Megan Blackshire and Olivia Waldowski combining for 13 stuffs. Three others registered four blocks apiece.

Nihipali led all players with 13 kills, and Bulldog libero Cassie Gifford was the top digging artist with 20 scoops. FSU hit just .119 on the evening and could muster only four blocks.

The Gauchos conclude Bronco Invitational play on Saturday, Sept. 10 against host Santa Clara (5-0), currently ranked 25th nationally. First serve is slated for 3:00 p.m. and live scoring can be found at www.ucsbgauchos.com.