Sept. 10, 2009

Box Score

LAS VEGAS- Nev. - While some go to Vegas to party, Gauchos come to play.

Three Gauchos racked-up double digit kills on the night as the UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team made quick work of the University of Nevada- Las Vegas (UNLV), dropping the Running Rebels in straight sets, 25-23, 25-21, 25-17, Thursday night at Cox Pavilion.

The Gauchos (5-1) have now won four consecutive matches, while the Rebels (1-5) continue to slide. UC Santa Barbara out-hit UNLV as a team on the night, .271 to .202.

Current Big West Player of the Week Rebecca Saraceno paced the Gauchos, converting 14 of her 24 attack attempts, posting a 542 hitting percentage. Leah Sully and Charlene DeHoog followed with ten kills apiece. Dana Vargas had 40 assists and eight digs.

For UNLV, Sara Nehf led the team with a .348 hitting percentage, finding her spot on 11 of her 23 attack attempts. Kela Lau Hee wiped the floor with 12 digs. Kelsey Keeler and Cursty Jackson both managed five kills, but could only muster a combined .100 hitting percentage. Samantha Noland had a match-high seven blocks.

UNLV rallied midway through the first set, scoring four straight points and extending their lead to 14-10. The Gauchos countered, winning five of the next six points, tying the game at 15-15. Sully accounted for three of her seven kills in the set during that stretch.

The teams would trade points until an attack error by UNLV's Christy Jackson and a Saraceno kill gave the Gauchos a 24-22 lead. Although UNLV's Leah Maurer closed the gap to one with a kill off the right side, Saraceno followed with a cannon of her own to close out the set, 25-23.

Although UC Santa Barbara never trailed in the second set, the third posed much more of a challenge. Trailing by two sets, UNLV shot out to a quick lead at 5-1. However, the Gauchos corrected their early mistakes, connecting on 13 of 20 attack attempts with only four errors. The Gauchos hit .450 to close out the match, 25-17.

The match lasted just over an hour, finishing in 1:23.

UC Santa Barbara's next match is tomorrow night, Friday, against Oregon State at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas. Match time is set for six p.m.

UCSB officially opens its home schedule on Wednesday, Sept. 16 when they face Santa Clara at The Thunderdome.

To purchase tickets, please call (805) 893-UCSB, visit the Ticket Office located inside the Intercollegiate Athletics building on campus or click here.

Saraceno's teammate Stacey Schmidt writes a blog on the women's volleyball page, so be sure to follow her by clicking here. Charlene DeHoog keeps fans updated through her UCSB volleyball Twitter page. Be sure to get instant news by following her tweets at twitter.com/ucsbvolleyball.

The Intercollegiate Athletics Ticket Office now has two parking spaces adjacent to the building and is now open on Saturdays, making it easier than ever for fans to purchase tickets. The ICA Ticket Office will be open from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturdays. The two parking spots, designated specifically for the ticket office, are already available during weekday hours, which are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

UCSB Athletics is proud to introduce GKids - its new official kids club! GKids members will receive a free GKids t-shirt, free admittance to tons of Gaucho games, opportunities to be ball boys and girls at games, a special birthday greeting from Olie (the new GKids mascot) and much, much more! For more information on GKids, or to become a member, please click here.