JASON ANDERSON
Record Staff Writer
Published Sunday, Oct 22, 2006
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Credit: Calixtro Romias/The Record
STOCKTON - The matches are getting more competitive, but the outcome remains the same.
The Pacific women's volleyball team dropped its third in a row on Saturday night, falling 30-24, 30-25, 30-22 to UC Santa Barbara before a crowd of 1,306 at Spanos Center. The Tigers had an opportunity to seize control of all three games, but they won't be satisfied until they turn opportunity into success.
"We want more," said sophomore outside hitter Alexa Anderson, who hit .310 with 13 kills and 17 digs. "Yeah, it's nice that we're competing, but we want to be able to beat teams like this."
The Gauchos (13-8, 5-3 Big West Conference) scored seven of the first 10 points in the opening game, but the Tigers rallied to take an 11-10 lead. Pacific (6-14, 3-5) went ahead 15-13 moments later, but the Gauchos then scored eight consecutive points - seven of them with freshman setter Stephanie Brandt at the service line - to take a 21-15 lead.
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Pacific coach Charlie Wade called two timeouts in an attempt to stop UC Santa Barbara's momentum, but nothing seemed to work.
"We were trying everything we could, but (McLaughlin) has a nice serve, and they made a good run," Wade said.
Pacific closed within four at 27-23, but the Gauchos scored three of the last four points to end a game in which they hit .405 with one error on 37 total attacks.
"We're a good serving team, and that's how we got those runs," said UC Santa Barbara coach Kathy Gregory, whose team has won six of its last seven matches. "We were able to get them out of system because our serving was consistent."
UC Santa Barbara jumped out to another early lead in the second set, but Pacific kept it close with a much better defensive effort. The Tigers trailed by as many as seven at 21-14, but they responded with five consecutive points to cut the Gauchos' lead to two on a service ace by junior libero Julie Magud. The Tigers still trailed by only two at 27-25, but the Gauchos scored the final three points to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
"I thought Pacific competed well," Gregory said. "If they could have won that second game, I think the momentum might have shifted."
The Tigers continued to demonstrate marked improvement, but a loss is a loss no matter what the score.
"At some point we're kind of tired of moral victories," Wade said. "We want to win."
Contact reporter Jason Anderson at (209) 546-8283 or janderson@recordnet.com. View his blog at
online.recordnet.com/blogs/?q=blog/15
I think the mecca had to run down the coast to perform the Heimlich manuever on Nina's program at Pep ;D