ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Senior outside hitter Charlene DeHoog combined for 32 kills and 29 digs in two matches on Friday, allowing UCSB’s women’s volleyball team to split on the opening day of the Lobo Comcast Challenge, held on the University of New Mexico’s campus.
DeHoog had a season-high 18 kills and a career-best 16 digs in the second match vs. Sacramento State to lead UCSB to a 25-18, 25-18, 24-26, 25-13 victory over the Hornets. In Santa Barbara’s first match, a 20-25, 21-25, 25-20, 20-25 defeat to SMU, DeHoog had 14 kills and 13 digs.
UCSB is now 4-4 and will finish the tournament with a single match against New Mexico on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Senior middle blocker Kasey Kipp set a career-high with 15 kills in the win over Sacramento State, hitting a robust .609 as Kara Sherrard had 10 kills for UCSB.
But it wasn’t the offense that impressed the most for the Gauchos against Sac State. It was their defense.
UCSB had 88 digs – five players had double digits – and held the Hornets to a meager .097 hitting percentage. The Gauchos also had two solo blocks and 19 block assists. Stacey Schmidt and freshman Jenna Wilson each pitched in five block assists and setter Dana Vargas had two solo blocks.
Aside from DeHoog, Chelsey Lowe (18), Kelly Heenan (17), Sherrard (15) and Vargas (13) all recorded double figures in digs. Vargas added 38 assists.
In the first match against the Mustangs (6-1), Schmidt was the only other Gaucho along with DeHoog to get double-digit kills as she had 11. Mimi Cuttrell added nine and Sherrard and Lily Lopez had eight apiece.
Again, the Gauchos were a digging machine, totaling 76 with Heenan leading the way with 20 and Sherrard had 17. Vargas, who tallied 43 assists, had 12 digs.
However, UCSB hit just .148 and SMU had 15.0 team blocks, including six solos.
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