SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (23-3) is back in The Thunderdome for the remainder of the season, starting off with Long Beach State and UC San Diego this weekend. With just one win, the Gauchos will look to keep the No. 1 seed heading into The Big West Championships.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos went into one of the toughest weeks of the season, taking on the Cal Poly Mustangs and Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine on their home courts. UC Santa Barbara came out with two wins from this week of matches, taking down Cal Poly in four sets before sweeping Hawai'i. During this stretch of matches,
Briana McKnight had a phenomenal week, averaging 4.14 kills and 1.14 aces per set.
BATTLING THE BEACH
Long Beach State is hot right now as they are on an eight-match win streak. They most recently secured sweeps over CSUN and Cal State Bakersfield.
The Beach are the best team in The Big West in two statistical categories: aces per set and hitting percentage. Natalie Glenn is the biggest reason for the team's serving prominence as she is 20th in the NCAA and No. 1 in The Big West in aces per set with .51. Katie Kennedy also has one of the best hitting percentages as she is hitting at a .383 clip.
Elise Agi is leading the team in kills as the outside hitter has accumulated 237 this season. Following up behind her is Glenn with 178.
Zayna Meyer is the primary setter with the team's 5-1 offense. She has racked up 877 assists so far this season. Savana Chacon is the team's best defender as she has tallied the most digs on the team with 306
.
The Beach are coached by Tyler Hildebrand, who is in his second season with the program. Prior to this position, he was the associate head coach at Nebraska, helping the team to three Elite Eight appearances in that time.
TAKING DOWN THE TRITONS
UC San Diego is on a six-match win streak, sweeping their opponent in five of those matches. Most recently, the Tritons swept Cal State Bakersfield and CSUN.
Ava McInnes has been the biggest offensive weapon for the Tritons this season. She leads the team in kills with 328.
There are two setters helping the offense for the Tritons. Nevada Knowles has the most assists on the team with 541 while Lauren Booker follows up close behind her with 324.
Senior libero Natalie Repetti has been a huge part of the Tritons' success. She leads the team in digs with 328.
This is the last year for UC San Diego's transition into full Division I status, which means they can compete for Big West Championships starting in 2024-25.
The Tritons are coached by Ricci Luyties, who is in his 13th season with the program. He has been with the team since 2010, guiding UC San Diego through their transition into Division I status. Over the course of his entire career, including six seasons at Southern Mississippi, he has accumulated an overall record of 305-244.
WHEREABOUTS
Both matches will take place in The Thunderdome this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 10 and 11. First serve will be at 7 p.m. both nights with a live stream available through ESPN+.
