Nov. 20, 2002

Santa Barbara, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara women¹s volleyball team has signed three versatile outside hitters to National Letters of Intent, head coach Kathy Gregory announced Wednesday.

Long Beach, Calif., native Jamie Garbisch, Janine Sandell of Phoenix, Ariz., and Kristy Sather from Santa Rosa, Calif., will all join the Gauchos as freshmen for the 2003 season.

"Overall, I feel that this is one of the most physical recruiting classes we¹ve ever had," Gregory said. "All three players are around six feet tall, they jump exceptionally well and they¹re just very athletic."

Garbisch is a senior at Los Alamitos High School, which captured the Sunset League title for the first time ever in 2002 and is currently playing in the CIF Southern Section 1-AA playoffs. The 5'11" outside hitter opened 2002 with all-tournament acclaim at the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas, and recorded a season-high 25 kills vs. Marina High School. Garbisch is well on her way to repeating as a first-team all-league honoree after earning second team all-Sunset acclaim as a sophomore in 2000. She also competes with Club Long Beach during the off-season.

"Jamie Garbisch is a left-side player who has also played on the right side," Gregory said. "She's a great passer and defender, who also possesses a very good jump serve."

A two-time Northwest Region Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002, Sandell has set numerous school records at Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Ariz. She was a member of the All-Arizona Team as a junior as the Skyhawks finished third in the state, and is a strong candidate for 5A State Player of the Year this season, according to DVHS head coach Reda Riddle. Sandell, who stands 5'10", plays club volleyball with the Arizona Juniors and also competes in track and field as a prepster.

"Janine is probably the most athletic player in this group; she can reach 10-feet and she hits the ball very hard," said the Gaucho head coach. "She's primarily a left-side player, but is exceptional off one foot, so we look for her to play on the right, too."

Sather will come to Santa Barbara as the No. 51-ranked high school senior in the country according to Student Sports magazine. She was the North Bay League's Most Valuable Player last season at Maria Carrillo High School, and recently slammed home 32 kills as the Pumas defeated Ukiah High School to qualify for the 2002 CIF Division II playoffs. The tallest of UCSB's three recruits at 6'0", Sather is also a member of the Empire Volleyball Club which had seven players sign National Letters of Intent with Division I programs this fall.

³Kristy Sather will step in and compete for that vacant left-side position that [senior] Courtney Guerra currently occupies," Gregory stated. "She hits a very heavy ball, and is very emotional and talkative on the court. Kristy will have a big impact on our team right from the beginning."

The seventh-ranked and Big West Conference Champion Gauchos continue their 2002 season at league rival Pacific on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m.