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Post by TheSantaBarbarian on Nov 30, 2013 20:36:28 GMT -5
Simple enough. Go Gauchos in that case! I agree.
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Post by italianmattd on Nov 30, 2013 21:02:10 GMT -5
Umm... Didn't Long Beach beat UCSB in 5 last night?
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Post by italianmattd on Nov 30, 2013 21:05:39 GMT -5
UCSB Comes Up Short in Narrow 3-2 Loss at Long Beach State Final 1 2 3 4 5 T UC Santa Barbara (17-10,12-3 Big West) 14 25 25 21 14 2 Long Beach State (17-11,10-5 Big West) 25 18 20 25 16 3 UC Santa Barbara Long Beach State K: Jaylen Villanueva - 20 B: Allie Sullberg - 8 D: Ali Spindt - 20 SA: Leah Sully - 2 K: Aigner-Swesey, D. - 20 B: Okpala, Chisom - 8 D: Aigner-Swesey, D. - 22 SA: N/A TEAM STATISTICS UC Santa Barbara Long Beach State Hitting % .233 .222 Blocks 13.0 13.0 Digs 75 79 Aces 2 0 full stats
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Despite taking a 2-1 lead, UCSB could not capture the elusive match clinching game as Long Beach State successfully defended its home court in the five-set victory.
With final scores of 25-14, 18-25, 20-25, 25-21, and 16-14, the Gauchos came up just short in a match that would have given them the conference title.
UCSB is still in the driver's seat to win the Big West, though, as a victory at UC Irvine tomorrow night will give the team the conference championship and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
"It was a hard fought match and I give credit to Long Beach for making one more play than we did," UCSB Head Coach Nicole Lantagne Welch said. "We did a lot of good things on the court tonight and there were some things we wish we could have back. Fortunately, we get to compete on the court again tomorrow."
Ali Spindt had a standout performance, as she swung for 17 kills and led UCSB with a career-high 20 digs. It was the freshman's 12th double double of the season.
Leading the Gauchos in kills was Jaylen Villanueva who came off the bench to connect for 20 kills on the evening. The sophomore hit at an outstanding .421 clip and also added four block assists.
Leah Sully scooped up 19 digs and now just sits 11 shy of becoming the program's all-time digs leader. The senior will look to pass up UCSB great Kristin Nelson in her pursuit for dig number 1712 on Saturday night.
Indicative of what was a tightly contested matchup, the Big West rivals took the match down to the wire in a nail biting 16-14 fifth set finish.
In the decisive game, LBSU took the 8-6 lead when the teams switched sides of the court, securing five of the previous six points.
The set was kept tight, as LBSU never relinquished their lead despite the Gauchos tying the score on three separate occasions.
With the game tied at 10, the 49ers made their move and recorded three kills to reach match point at 14-11.
However, the Gauchos denied them the match clinching play three straight times and forced extra points. Katey Thompson stepped up in the crucial moment for UCSB, as she accounted for two kills in the 3-0 run.
The senior finished the match with 13 kills.
Long Beach State later responded with a pair of kills of their own to end the match and completed the 3-2 win.
In the first set, the 49ers controlled the Gaucho offense as they put up eight total blocks en route to a 25-14 game victory.
UCSB was quick to adjust to Long Beach State's play at the net, as the Gauchos threw down 15 kills in the second set and were only blocked once. Leading Santa Barbara in the game was Villanueva who had five kills.
Sully sealed the second for UCSB at the service line, as she dealt the 49ers back-to-back service aces to capture the 25-18 win.
The Gauchos took the third set after storming out to an early 5-2 lead. Spindt recorded a pair of kills in that stretch, while Phoebe Grunt and Villanueva combined for a block.
The 49ers would battle back later in the set, as they took the 16-14 lead. But with a 7-2 run, UCSB regained control at 22-18 when the Gaucho offense yielded five straight kills.
UCSB's opposite hitter Villanueva and Thompson closed out the set as they put up consecutive kills to get set point. A 49er attacking error would give the Gauchos the 25-20 decision.
In the fourth, Long Beach State took an early 10-6 advantage and never gave up its lead. Down 22-16, UCSB rattled off a 5-2 run in a late comeback attempt, but the 49ers' hot start proved too much as LBSU was able to force the fifth set.
The Gauchos' will continue their mission to earn their first Big West title since 2005 tomorrow night at UC Irvine. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.
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Post by mcman27 on Nov 30, 2013 21:12:09 GMT -5
The misinformation about the BigWest tiebreaker policy is astounding. UCSB lost to Long Beach, but still only has 3 losses just like UH and CSUN. If all 3 of those teams win today.... UCSB gets the automatic bid into the NCAA Tourney. But all 3 teams would co-champions of the BigWest. Any team who loses today is out of co-champion contention.
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Post by n00b on Nov 30, 2013 23:14:22 GMT -5
Game 1: UCSB 26, UC Irvine 24 Game 2: UC Irvine 25, UCSB 22
Game 1: UC Davis 25, Northridge 21 Game 2: Northridge 25, UC Davis 9
Game 1: Hawaii 25, Fullerton 19 Game 2: Hawaii 25. Fullerton 18
Drama is building in the Big West...
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Post by n00b on Nov 30, 2013 23:14:51 GMT -5
And UC Davis leads the 3rd set 15-13 over Northridge.
Would hate to see the conference reduced to a 1-bid league on the last day of the regular season.
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Post by silentknight on Dec 1, 2013 0:26:05 GMT -5
So UCSB gets the automatic bid...Hawaii will get in...will Northridge?
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Post by aaronic on Dec 1, 2013 0:45:59 GMT -5
Well, CSUN just survived a potential upset, winning in five at UC Davis. (They're one better than Hawaii in that respect.)
Big question now is whether they've done enough to make it in tomorrow. Regardless of if they're in or not, they are going to be one of the teams the committee will have a hard time with figuring out what to do with.
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Post by TheSantaBarbarian on Dec 1, 2013 0:48:40 GMT -5
I think they should be in.
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Dec 1, 2013 0:49:22 GMT -5
Crossing my fingers for Northridge, they are right on the bubble.
Btw, congrats to UCSB! it's good to see the Gauchos back in the dance. I wish them the best in the tourney.
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Post by ACE on Dec 1, 2013 0:56:08 GMT -5
Crossing my fingers for Northridge, they are right on the bubble. Btw, congrats to UCSB! it's good to see the Gauchos back in the dance. I wish them the best in the tourney. I wonder if the SB players knew that a win tonight sends them to the dance! It's always great to see (although I didn't) the celebration after a win of great significance. I'm sure they did and I'm sure they fist-pumped all the way!!!
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Post by herdmentality on Dec 1, 2013 1:00:41 GMT -5
Btw, congrats to UCSB! it's good to see the Gauchos back in the dance. I wish them the best in the tourney. Shall I reserve a room for you both?
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Post by BeachbytheBay on Dec 1, 2013 3:09:40 GMT -5
Northridge is still on the bubble. They are fortunate they are close in RPI to a lot of teams with not so stellar top 50 records. But one of those is UCLA who beat them.
I think the two teams that could knock North out are Arizona State & St. Marys - both have a lot more quality wins and quality win % better than Northridge.
but going by RPI - Northridge would be in. Northridge will be one of the last 2-3 teams in if they make it.
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Post by BeachbytheBay on Dec 1, 2013 3:35:18 GMT -5
LB destroys Cal Poly tonight - not too big a surprise, -12, -16, -14. Poly outmatched, Crosson didn't even bother with time-outs.
LB is now playing at a level ready for the NCAA tournament finally, but unfortunately won't be in it.
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Post by ACE on Dec 1, 2013 7:47:05 GMT -5
UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Northridge and Hawai'i each registered a Big West Conference mark of 13-3 to share apiece of the 2013 championship. This marks the first time the Big West Conference has crowned tri-champions. The Gauchos receive the Big West Conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament due to the conference's head-to-head tiebreaker. UC Santa Barbara owns a 3-1 mark against Cal State Northridge and Hawai'i, while Hawai'i holds a 2-2 record and Cal State Northridge holds a 1-3 mark against the first-place teams. alt A 1-1 split this weekend pushed the Gauchos to an overall mark of 18-10 and a 12-3 conference record to secure a share of its first Big West championship since 2005 when they shared the title with Long Beach State. Earning the conference's automatic qualifier awards the Gauchos with their first NCAA appearance since 2009. The Matadors collected a share of its first-ever Big West title after closing out the regular season with a 3-1 win over UC Davis to improve to 23-6 overall and 13-3 in league play. Cal Sate Northridge awaits the NCAA selection show Sunday evening to see if it earns an at-large berth into its first postseason tournament since 2004. Entering the week 1.5 games back in third place, and at-risk of losing their first championship in 19 years, the Rainbow Warriors' 2-0 effort this week, paired with the Gauchos' 1-1 mark, elevated Hawai'i to first place with UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Northridge. Hawai'i, who ends the regular season with an impressive 24-4 overall mark and a 13-3 conference record, altcaptured at least a share of its 19-straight conference title. Hawai’i competed in the Western Athletic Conference from 1996-2011 and won the championship all 16 years. Like CSUN, No. 12 Hawai'i awaits the announcement of the at-large selections into the NCAA Tournament. The field of 64 teams for the 2013 NCAA Volleyball Tournament will be unveiled on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m. (Pacific) on Sunday, Dec. 1. The first and second round host sites will also be announced during the selection show while the Regional and Final sites are predetermined. This year’s Regional sites include Los Angeles, Calif.; Lexington, Ky.; Champaign, Ill. and Lincoln, Neb., with the finals taking place at the Key Arena in Seattle, Wash., December 19 & 21 - See more at: www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=17371#sthash.X1Nf0JCi.dpufwww.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=17371So, to be clear, Santa Barbra aren't "The Champions" of the Big West, but share that title with Northridge and Hawaii. What they do get is the auto-bid to the NCAA to represent the Big West? Looking at the top 4 teams, pretty decent resume, a couple of OOC victories and the BW could have easily been a 4 team conference into the NCAA's. Hawaii 24-4 (13-3 BW) Northridge 23-6 (13-3) UCSB 18-10 (13-3) Long Beach 18-11 (11-5)
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