Nov. 21, 2001

The Schedule
Four Points University Plaza Thanksgiving Tournament
Match 29 * Friday, Nov. 23 * 4:00 p.m. PST * Tucson, AZ
No. 24 UC Santa Barbara vs. San Diego State
Match 30 * Saturday, Nov. 24 * 10:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. * Tucson, AZ
No. 24 UC Santa Barbara vs. Denver or No. 4 Arizona

Gauchos Could Face 13th Ranked Opponent of the Season
The 24th-ranked UCSB women's volleyball team has its final tune-ups for a possible NCAA Tournament run when the Gauchos take part in the Four Points University Plaza Thanksgiving Tournament, hosted by fourth-ranked Arizona. San Diego State will be the Gauchos' first tourney opponent on Friday, Nov. 23 at 4:00 p.m. PST. The winner of that match will meet either Arizona or Denver for the tournament championship the following day at 12:00 p.m. The two losers will play in a consolation match Saturday at 10:00 a.m. If Santa Barbara squares off with the Wildcats, it will be the team's 13th match this season against a fellow nationally-ranked squad, and sixth vs. a member of the top-10.

Potential NCAA Tourney Bid Awaits
UCSB is one of only four schools to earn a birth in all 20 NCAA Championships, and looks to keep that streak alive when the 2001 tournament pairings are announced on Monday, Nov. 26 at 12:00 p.m. PST. The selection show will air live on Fox Sports Net 2, Channel 37 in Santa Barbara.

UCSB Finishes Third in Big West
The Gauchos wrapped up Big West play last weekend, earning a third place conference finish. On Friday, Nov. 16 the Gaucos suffered a 30-23, 30-25, 21-30, 30-24 loss to 15th-ranked Pacific in the Thunderdome. The following night Santa Barbara rebounded with a 30-20, 30-19, 30-20 sweep of league foe Cal State Northridge.

The Gregory File
Kathy Gregory is the only coach UCSB women's volleyball has ever known, guiding the program to a 670-289 (.699) record since accepting the reigns of the team in 1975. In her 26 seasons at the helm of the Gauchos she has guided Santa Barbara to 20 or more victories 21 times. For 24 straight years UCSB has finished the season ranked in the top-25, never finishing lower than 17th. Gregory was named the National Coach of the Year in 1993 and is a member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame. She is currently the eighth-winningest active coach in Division I women's volleyball.

Probable Starters Notes
#3 * Brie Lampe * Sr. * MB Fourth in Big West with .329 hitting %
#4 * Kristin Nelson * Fr. * DS Career-high 21 digs vs. Utah State
#7 * Courtney Guerra * Jr. * OH 15 kills, season-best 18 digs at Hawai'i
#8 * Erica Menzel * So. * OH 3.24 dpg rank third in Big West
#12 * Danielle Bauer * Jr. * MB 14 double-doubles, second in Big West
#16 * Brooke Niles * Jr. * S Double-double (22 assists, 13 digs) vs. UOP

Reserves Notes
#2 * Mari Bell * Fr. * S Reserve setter with 44 assists this season
#5 * Brooke Rundle * Sr. * S 35 assists, nine digs on senior night vs. CSUN
#9 * Casey McFarland * So. * DS 96 digs in conference matches
#10 * Francina Edmonds * So. * MB Career-high five kills against Riverside
#13 * Missy Blackshire * Sr. * OH 10 digs vs. CSUN were best as a Gaucho
#17 * Niki Carroll * Fr. * MB Career-high 13 kills at UC Riverside
#20 * Amy Sarkaria * Fr. * MB Four put-aways vs. Idaho tied career high

Bauer of Power
For the 14th time this season, junior middle blocker Danielle Bauer recorded a double-double with her 17 kills and 12 digs in the Gauchos' three-game sweep of Cal State Northridge. Saturday night's performance was her ninth double-double in conference action, pushing her total to second in the Big West. The Santa Ana, Calif., native has paced the UCSB attack in 20 of its 28 matches in 2001, and has registered double-digit kills in all but four contests, two of which were nine-kill performances. She has reached a season-high 23 kills twice, at top-ranked Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge. The 2000 All-Big West First Team honoree is well on her way to repeating such honors, ranking fourth in the conference with 4.35 kills per game and a per-game digs average of 2.95 which is second amongst all Gauchos.

What About Erica?
After a lukewarm start to the season, sophomore outside hitter Erica Menzel was on fire during conference action, registering double-digit kill totals in 15 of the 18 Big West matches UCSB played. Her defensive play has been equally sizzling, with a digs per game average of 3.31 which ranks third in the league and a career-best 27 scoops at Pacific on Oct. 30th, the second highest total by a Big West player this year. The 2000 All-Big West Second Team member also can boast 11 double-doubles this season, nine in Big West play.

The River Niles
One of the most versatile players in UCSB history, junior Brooke Niles has assumed the role of starting setter in 2001 after seeing most of her time at outside hitter and defensive specialist the past two seasons. Niles has flourished in her new position, averaging 9.84 assists per game in conference matches, ninth best in the Big West. She posted a career-high 56 helpers at Utah State, and notched a triple-double (12 kills, 16 assists, 18 digs) to open the season vs. sixth-ranked Wisconsin. Niles averaged 2.70 kills per game en route to Big West Freshman of the Year honors in 1999, and led all Gauchos with 369 digs last season.

Brie's Wedge
Senior Brie Lampe is the Gauchos' most effective attacker this season with a .329 hitting percentage that ranks her fourth in the Big West. The outside hitter from Nevada City, Calif., has gone on a tear during league play, connecting at a .367 clip, and has committed just 22 hitting errors over her past 10 matches. She was nearly flawless against UC Riverside on Nov. 9 with nine kills and no errors for a season-high .750 hitting percentage, surpassing her .733 hitting performance from Oct. 12th in a three-game sweep of Cal State Fullerton. Lampe has registered double-digit kills 12 times this season, most recently on senior night last Saturday against Northridge.

Aztec Announcements
San Diego State finished fourth in the Mountain West Conference with a 9-5 league record and own a 15-11 overall mark. Like the Gauchos, SDSU has struggled vs. ranked opponents, going 1-8 with the lone win coming against No. 14 Utah on Nov. 9. Sophomore outside hitter Zlatina Anguelova from Bulgaria has emerged as the Aztecs' go-to hitter, averaging 3.67 kills per game in MWC play and ranking sixth in the league. San Diego State is one of a handful of schools to hold a winning all-time record over UCSB, going 17-14. However Santa Barbara has won the last seven meetings between the schools including a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 2, 2000.

Scouting the Wildcats
Before losing out on a chance at the Pac-10 title with a defeat at the hands of third-ranked Stanford and last Saturday, No. 4 Arizona had won 11 straight matches. The Wildcats enter the Four Points University Plaza Thanksgiving Tournament with a 19-4 overall record and are particularly tough on their home floor, going 10-1 at the McKale Center. A major reason for U of A's success is senior All-American setter Dana Burkholder, who dishes out 12.99 assists per game. The Gauchos opened last season with a thrilling five-game victory over Arizona to improve to 8-4 all-time against the 'Cats.

Pioneer Prattle
UCSB and the University of Denver met for the first time on Sept. 7, 2000, with the Gauchos posting a quick 3-0 sweep in the Mile-High City. The Pioneers, with a record of 13-16 this season, reached the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament last weekend. Keep an eye on senior outside hitter Kellie Savage and her 3.07 kills per game.