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Megan Blackshire may be the big kid on the block for UCSB women's volleyball, but she's suddenly looking up to a lot of teammates.
"The funny thing," said Blackshire, an NCAA All-West Region selection last year, "is that the Gauchos keep getting taller."
UCSB will field one of its biggest teams ever when it opens its season Friday at the San Diego State Invitational. The Gauchos, ranked 16th in the USA TodaySTV Top 25 coaches poll, will play Missouri Valley Conference co-champion Wichita State at 10 a.m. and San Diego State at 7 p.m. They'll also face Texas Tech Saturday at 10 a.m.
UCSB returns all but two players from last year's 19-9 team, and it's the coaches' pick to win its third-straight Big West Conference championship. But Blackshire is aiming much higher.
"I joke around a lot about it, but it's really not a joke in my mind -- and what I've got in mind is the Final Four," she said. "We've got a really deep squad this year, and I think we're really underrated."
Kathy Gregory, who is entering her 30th season as Gaucho coach, considers Blackshire's depth assessment to be right on target.
"But the bottom line is, 'Are we going to be stronger?' " she said. "Well, the answer is yes.
"Most of all, we should be a better blocking team."
Blackshire, a 6-foot junior, led UCSB with 103 blocks last year -- just a fraction under 1.0 per game. Also back in the middle is 6-3 Olivia Waldowski, who won Big West Freshman of the Year honors in 2003 while averaging 0.9 blocks and 2.24 kills. Her hitting percentage of .383 was tops on the team.
And senior Amy Sarkaria, another 6-3 Gaucho, is moving into a starting role this year as a right-side hitter.
But UCSB will also get a big boost up front from Bethany Johansen, a 6-3 freshman from state champion Archibishop Mitty High of San Jose.
"She's one of the best blockers to ever come here, and she's going to be contributing immediately," said Gregory.
Last year's leading hitter, Erica Menzel, is now on the sidelines as an undergraduate assistant coach. But the Gauchos do return one of their top guns in 5-10 sophomore Janine Sandell, who made last year's Big West All-Freshman Team. She blossomed late last season, pounding 27 kills against Northern Iowa during a five-game loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament -- the second-most in school history for a playoff match.
"Janine will be a big focal point of the offense, but we're not going to go anywhere if we don't have balance," Gregory observed. "Last year, Erica got way too many sets. So this year, it's going to be more in balance offensively."
Sandell was hitting the ball so hard during the spring that she dislocated a finger.
"That was probably a blessing in disguise," said Gregory, "because it gave Emily (Hendrickson) and Jamie (Garbisch) the chance during the spring tournaments to gain more experience and confidence. And to play without your best hitter meant we had to put the ball to a lot of other players."
Blackshire is expected to take a lot of swings this season. She averaged 3.24 kills per game last year while hitting a robust .366.
"Megan has to play in the 5-1 hitter position where there's always two blockers on her," said Gregory. "It's like Megan never, ever gets a break. She's also the most enthusiastic, charismatic player out there, and everyone likes her. She makes other people play better."
But Gregory did tell the team during preseason drills that senior libero Kristin Nelson, the Big West digs leader last year, is "our No. 1 player."
"I told them that Kristin was No. 1 because she passes every ball, she digs, and she's in on every play," she explained. "She's the foundation. The reason we were successful last year was we had her, and now I need her to do more.
"Sometimes she's going to have to pass half the court. And now she's also going to have the chance to serve. And she's going to have to be really vocal because Erica has graduated."
The Gauchos are also experienced at setter with 5-9 senior Mari Bell, who averaged 12.42 assists per game last year. But Gregory also plans to make good use of 5-7 freshman Ashley Dutro, who guided St. Francis High of Mountain View to three straight state championships.
"I thought Mari did a great job last year under a lot of pressure, showing that she had a lot of maturity and competitiveness," said Gregory. "I look for her to bring that stability again this season.
"And the freshman, Ashley Dutro, will give us the potential to play a 6-2 to start the season, because she's that good."
The Gauchos are one of only four schools to have played in all 23 NCAA Tournaments. But Gregory wants to gain more than just No. 24 this year.
"We've set some personal goals to go farther in the tournament," she said, "and I would like to think that we have the potential to go farther."