SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Aug. 24, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team is ready to hit the court for another year of Gaucho Volleyball. Head Coach
Matt Jones and his team will tackle the first weekend of competition on their home court in The Thunderdome Classic. The Gauchos will host New Mexico State, Denver and North Florida across this three-day tournament.
FROM HEAD COACH MATT JONES
"We're really excited to kick off the season at home in front of friends, family and this local community. The group has trained hard to prepare for this point. We can't wait to see them get a chance to show what they're capable of.
SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
UC Santa Barbara finished last season with an overall record of 20-10 and a 16-4 record in The Big West, earning them a second-place finish for the year. The Gauchos played a tough non-conference schedule, which included a series that was split between the Gauchos and the Aggies.
The Gauchos return The Big West's Libero of the Year and AVCA All-Pacific Region Honorable Mention recipient
Macall Peed along with All-Big West First Team recipient
Michelle Ohwobete and All-Big West Honorable Mention honoree
Tasia Farmer. Two other core members of last year's starting lineup will be on the court this season in middle blocker
Niableu Correal and outside hitter
Briana McKnight. Along with that, UC Santa Barbara brought in two transfers from Power Five programs in
Andi Kreiling from Arizona State and
Michelle Zhao from Washington State.
Not only do the Gauchos have seasoned athletes on their roster, but there are seven freshmen that will appear this season, bringing plenty of new faces to this lineup.
The coaching staff for the Gauchos is all new this season, but with some familiar faces. As Jones steps into the head coaching position,
Chad Gatzlaff returns to UC Santa Barbara after a stint on the east coast as the associate head coach, while the newest face,
Hannah McGlockton, comes on as an assistant. She previously coached at Colby College in Maine following her playing career at Georgia Southern.
WHEREABOUTS
All six matches will be played in The Thunderdome this weekend. Friday and Saturday's matches are scheduled for 4 and 7 p.m., with Sunday's matches scheduled for 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Matches that feature UC Santa Barbara will be streamed on ESPN+ while all other matches will only have live stats.
