AMES, Iowa (Sept. 13, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (8-1) is ready for their final non-conference tournament of the season as they head to the Midwest for the Cyclone Invitational hosted by Iowa State University. During this trip, the Gauchos will first take on the host team before facing the Drake University Bulldogs and the Ohio University Bobcats.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos went to Salt Lake City for the Utah Classic hosted by the University of Utah. Santa Barbara finished the weekend 3-0, taking down San Francisco and Utah in five sets on Friday before sweeping Tennessee State on Saturday.
Macall Peed ended the weekend as the Tournament MVP while
Michelle Ohwobete and
Grace McIntosh earned spots on the All-Tournament team. Ohwobete was also named The Big West's Offensive Player of the Week after her performances against these three teams.
CONTAINING THE CYCLONES
Iowa State University is having a hot start to the season, only dropping a four-set match to then No. 16 Creighton. Throughout the course of the season, the Cyclones picked up big wins against Arizona and Iowa along with Omaha, LIU Brooklyn, DePaul and South Dakota.
The Cyclones are known for their front row defense this season. They are currently ranked 32nd in the NCAA with 84.5 total blocks.
The Iowa State offense is led by the outside hitters. Freshman Nayeli Gonzalez leads the way with 78 while senior Annie Hatch is right behind with 70. The most efficient hitter on this team is freshman middle blocker Pam McCune, who is hitting at a .409 clip (42 kills/4 errors/93 attempts).
Brooke Stonestreet is the star of the back row defense. She is in the Top 50 in the NCAA and No. 1 in the Big 12 in digs per set, averaging 4.68.
The Cyclones are coached by Christy Johnson-Lynch, who is in her 19th season with the program. Over that time, she earned an overall record of 357-192.
BATTLING THE BULLDOGS
Drake University has had a hot streak as of late. They are currently 5-1 across their last six matches, only dropping a four-setter to then No. 17 Washington State.
The Bulldogs have one of the best defensive players in the country, and this shows in the stats. Jada Wills ranks No. 1 in the NCAA when it comes to digs per set, averaging 6.06. She also is second in the NCAA in total digs with 206.
The offense is led a pair of pin hitters in sophomore outside hitter Macy Daufeldt, who has 122 kills, and senior opposite Taylor Oberpriller, who has 121 kills.
The middle blockers are very effective for the Bulldogs. Senior Kacie Rewerts has been huge on offense, clocking a .397 hitting percentage, while also leading the team in blocks with 44. Fellow senior Macy DeLeye also makes an impact in the middle, notching 22 blocks to go along with a .330 hitting percentage.
The Bulldogs are coached by Darrin McBroom, who is in his 11th season with the program. He currently has an overall record of 157-162.
BREAKING DOWN THE BOBCATS
Ohio University most recently hosted their own tournament, coming out of it with a 1-2 record. They won a four-set match against William and Mary before dropping a five-setter to UTEP and a four-setter to NC State.
The Bobcats have played nine matches so far this season, ranking in the Top 15 in multiple stat categories including team kills (10th) and team assists (13th).
Senior Parker Kwiatkowski is running a 5-1 offense as the team's primary setter. She currently has 257 assists on the season.
Only two players have more than 100 kills, and they are pin hitters Caitlin O'Farrell and Anna Kharchynska. O'Farrell leads the way from the outside with 130 kills while Kharchynska notched 100 on the right side.
Senior Elizabeth Hoerlein has been a huge part of the Bobcats' front row. She has a .329 hitting percentage to go with 35 blocks.
The Bobcats are coached by Geoff Carlston, who is in his third season with the team. He coached the program from 2003-2007 before coaching at Ohio State from 2008-2019. Over his 23-year coaching career, he has accumulated a 465-269 record.
WHEREABOUTS
The Gauchos will play their first match on Thursday, Sept. 14, as they take on the Cyclones. This match is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. PT. A live stream is available for this game through Cyclones TV with live stats through StatBroadcast.
