Sept. 14, 2005

Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - Led by a pair of all-region middle blockers, the 24th-ranked UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team got back on the winning track Wednesday night with a 30-20, 30-22, 25-30, 30-24 victory at UC Davis in The Pavilion.

Middles Megan Blackshire and Olivia Waldowski combined for 32 kills and .517 hitting percentage as the Gauchos improved to 4-3 on the young season. Meanwhile the Aggies dropped their fifth consecutive match, falling to 2-8 overall.

The two future Big West Conference foes traded points to open game one until UCSB reeled off three straight to build a 6-3 advantage. The visitors would not trail the rest of the way, and put things virtually out of reach when Janine Sandell's kill capped a 4-0 run and made the scoreboard read 26-16. Santa Barbara's .282 hitting percentage in the opening frame was its highest of the night.

Unfazed, UCD opened up a quick 12-8 advantage in game two, but the Gauchos came roaring back by scoring nine of the next 10 points. Waldowski amassed two blocks, a kill and an ace during that stretch. The home team closed within two points on several occasions, however with a slim 23-21 cushion UCSB reeled off five straight points highlighted by Waldowski's back-to-back aces. Sandell then notched a big solo block to give the three-time defending Big West champs a 2-0 advantage heading into the locker rooms.

A sweep was not in the cards Wednesday as the fight that Davis displayed in game two was kicked up a notch during the next frame. Game three saw nine lead changes, the last coming at 14-13 when Aggie outside hitter Rachel Keener found paydirt.. Five of the six ensuing points also went favor of UCD, which then built a lead as wide as 28-21. The visitors' late 4-0 run was all in vain as Davis made things interesting on its home court.

Ahead just 7-6 to commence the fourth frame, Santa Barbara gave itself some breathing room with a 4-0 run that included consecutive kills courtesy of Blackshire. Waldowski did the same during a later stretch of four unanswered, giving the visitors a 17-10 advantage. However the Gauchos' inability to put opponents away early this season showed once again as UCD closed within three points on three separate occasions late in the frame. With its advantage down to just 27-24, UCSB clinched the win with a 3-0 run, the clincher coming on Sandell's big slam.

Blackshire and Waldowski led the Gauchos with 16 kills apiece, hitting .519 and .462, respectively. The duo was also a force defensively with 11 combined blocks. Sandell amassed her third double-double of the season with 14 put-aways and 17 digs, but for the first time in 2005 she did not pace the Santa Barbara offense. Junior outside hitter Jamie Garbisch pounded home 12 balls while two other Gauchos amassed double-digit scoops, including freshman libero Leigh Stephenson who tallied 25 in her first action as a collegian. Sophomore setter Ashley Dutro quarterbacked the offense, dishing off 50 assists.

Davis' Nicole Reed tallied a match-best 19 kills, while Chantal Paschetta was the only other Aggie in double-figures with 10. UCD out-blocked the visitors 12.5 to 12.5, but hit just .115 on the evening.

The Gauchos' busy stretch of four matches in four days continues on Thursday, Sept. 15 when they open the Stanford Invitational against former Big West rival Utah State. First serve in Maples Pavilion is slated for 5:00 p.m., with live "Gametracker" scoring available at www.ucsbgauchos.com.