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Sept. 2, 2005

Box Score

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - If the UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team's 2005 opener is any indication of how the season will play out, the Gauchos are in store for a wild ride.

Trailing Missouri State two games to none Friday morning in the opening match of the Aquafina Volleyball Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., 15th-ranked UCSB rallied for a 25-30, 29-31, 30-25, 30-27, 18-16 victory behind a rally scoring school-record 33 kills from Janine Sandell.

The junior outside hitter - whose kill total equaled the sixth-best performance ever by a Gaucho - also added a career-high 27 digs in the thrilling victory. Another standout performance was turned in by junior outside hitter Emily Hendrickson, whose 22 put-aways and 28 scoops both established new personal bests.

Santa Barbara squandered an excellent opportunity to tie the match at one game apiece, when a Sandell slam gave her squad a 29-28 lead in the second frame. However the Bears responded with three straight kills to take a 2-0 advantage into the locker rooms.

However UCSB - playing in a match that started at 7:00 a.m. PDT - awoke from its early morning slumber with a .304 hitting percentage in game three. After MSU closed to within 25-24, the Gauchos captured five of the next six points, with Olivia Waldowski's kill sealing the victory.

Santa Barbara's efficiency trailed off during the fourth frame, but the three-time defending Big West Conference champs still out-hit the school formerly known as Southwest Missouri State .209 to .133 to even the score.

The dramatics were in abundance during a fifth game that saw five ties and four lead changes. Trailing 14-11 and facing a trio of match points, UCSB reeled off four straight points, the last three coming with freshman libero Brittany San Jose back to serve. The Gauchos' 15-14 cushion was their first of the entire game, however they failed to close things out on the ensuing point. Missouri State had another opportunity to win at 16-15, however Santa Barbara dug deep for three straight points. Freshman Lauren McLaughlin served up an ace to give UCSB its second match point before this back-and-fourth contest ended on a hitting error by the Bears' Ashley Warren.

The aforementioned Gaucho junior outside hitters combined for a staggering 156 attempts, with Sandell's 84 swings equaling the fourth-most in school annals. More UCSB history was made as sophomore setter Ashley Dutro's 65 assists were the highest total in the rally scoring era. As a team Santa Barbara racked up 100 digs, including 26 by San Jose in her collegiate debut. It was the Gauchos' first five-game victory since Oct. 2, 2003 at Pacific.

Missouri State - coming off a 23-10 season and picked to finish second in the highly-competitive Missouri Valley Conference - fell to 2-2 on the young season. Junior Erin O'Connor's 21 kills led all MSU attackers. The Bears lost despite out-hitting Santa Barbara .191 to .186 and owning a 16 to 11 blocking advantage.

There is no rest for the weary as UCSB continues tournament play this afternoon against 2004 NCAA Tournament participant Dayton. The Gaucho-Flyer showdown is slated for a 5:30 p.m. EDT/2:30 p.m. PDT start inside Florida's Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Live scoring will be available at www.ucsbgauchos.com.