Oct. 6, 2006
Santa Barbara, Calif. - Gaucho hitters Olivia Waldowski and Brett Quirarte posted 14 kills apiece as UC Santa Barbara swept Cal State Fullerton, 3-0 (30-25, 30-20, 30-27) in a Big West Conference women's volleyball match-up at the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara.
The Gauchos improve to 9-7 overall and 2-2 in Big West Conference play while the visiting Titans drop to 13-4, 2-2. Down two games to none, the Titans came out of the break and jumped out to a 20-10 lead in game three, only to see their 10 point lead disappear as the Gauchos went on 9-1 run to preserve their winning streak against the Titans. Santa Barbara remains unbeaten since 1982 with a 52-0 record against their conference opponents from the south.
Breanna Trudeau led the Titans with ten kills, hitting .348 on the night. But it would not be enough offense to overpower the Gauchos who had a trio of players in double-digits.
The Titans hit .211 as a team on the night, with their best effort coming in game two when they hit .258. The Gauchos would counter with a .323 effort overall and .302 and .500 percentages in the first two games.
Waldowski was the player of the game leading the match in kills (14) while also posting four blocks (1 solo), four digs and five service aces while hitting .700. Quirarte hit .423 and picked up four blocks as well.
At the net, Fullerton out-blocked the home team 8-6 led by Alex Wonisty and Deven Bukoski who each had part of four blocks apiece. Julie Geissert and Amanda Pfielschiefter also added three block assists each in the losing effort.
Danielle Hitzeman and Bukoski were the primary Titan defenders on Friday evening, both collecting 10-or-more digs. Bukoski tied UCSB's Emily Hendrickson with 12 scoops, while Hitzeman added 11 of her own.
Fullerton, just two wins away from securing their first winning season since 1996 will next have to face the conference's highest ranked team, Cal Poly. The Mustangs are No. 20 in the nation according to the AVCA poll. The Titans and Mustangs meet up Saturday night in San Luis Obispo at 7 p.m.