Kathy Gregory has been UCSB’s volleyball coach for 35 years, and she’s still as giddy as a rookie.
When new Athletic Director Mark Massari came to UCSB at the end of last year, he asked Gregory if she was sure she had enough energy to keep it up.
Kathy Gregory
“I said “I’ll show you’,” said Gregory — with plenty of energy of course — at Wednesday’s Gaucho Huddle held at the Endless Summer Bar and Cafe.
After missing the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons, Gregory’s girls are off to an 11-4 start with a 2-2 record in the Big West. They currently hold the highest power-ranking of any team in the conference.
“This season has been everything I hoped ot would be,” said the coach. “We’re expecting to finish first or second in the Big West.”
The team spent the offseason running stairs at 6 a.m., doing yoga three times a week and training on the beach.
“I got my girls to buy into the mind, body, soul approach,” said Gregory, who credited new UCSB strength coach Jeremy Bettle for having the players in great shape.
Paul Stumpf said that his women’s soccer players came into the season in better shape than ever before, and expectations were sky-high after graduating just three players from last year’s NCAA-tourney squad.
Paul Stumpf
Then the injury-bug hit.
A total of six key players went down in the opening weeks of the year, which included five matches against nationally ranked opponents. The Gauchos (4-7-1, 1-1-0) have also been missing the home turf at Harder Stadium thus far, playing all but three matches on the road.
But with reigning Big West Offensive MVP Genelle Ives and fellow senior Sarah Stoltz on the mend as well as numerous other injured players, Stumpf’s team has four straight games at home beginning with Friday’s 7 p.m. matchup against Cal State Fullerton.
Stumpf finished his recap/season outlook by expressing his excitement about the new regime in the athletic department.
Last but not least was men’s soccer coach Tim Vom Steeg, making his second straight Gaucho Huddle appearance. Vom Steeg’s Gauchos were coming off of a thrilling 3-0 victory of No. 9 Indiana in front of over 10,000 fans at Harder Stadium.
Jonathan Zerah
“We love playing big games at home,” he said.
He pointed out that playing the youthful Gauchos is a big game for every opponent they face.
“It seems like every game we play is a rivalry,” he said. “At some point a team needs a real comfortable, blowout win. It’s probably been about three years since we had that kind of a game.”
He brought along senior captain Jonathan Zerah, whose heartwarming story of perseverance is featured on the newly re-vamped Gaucho Web site.
“We’ve gotta grow up at some point this season… I feel like we’re there,” said Zerah.
Later on in the evening, the seventh-ranked Gauchos blanked Cal Poly 1-0 to improve to 8-2-1, 2-0-0.
After Vom Steeg finished, Executive Associate Athletics Director Tom Hastings announced that thre rest of the Gauchos’ games this season will be broadcast on AM 1490 KIST.
The next Gaucho Huddle will be held at the Cabrillo Arts Pavilion on November 4th.
