Libero Annie Pinegar Sets BYU Record In Digs

LOS -- On the strength of Annie Pinegar's record-setting night, the No. 22 BYU Cougars completed an incredible comeback from two games down to get a five-game win over UC Santa Barbara and advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite entering the match 0-5 this season when losing the first two games, the Cougars recovered from an 0-2 start to send the Gauchos home with scores of 27-30, 30-32, 30-27, 30-21, 15-12.

"We talked a lot about the importance of getting just a little bit better," said BYU head coach Jason Watson. "We just picked it up. Our serving game got better and allowed us some opportunities to make plays. I think this really shows the character of our team."

Pinegar recorded 42 digs on the night, breaking a 22-year-old BYU record for digs in a match set by Socorro Leal on Nov. 16, 1984 with 35.

"I had no clue, so when I found out I was pretty excited," said Pinegar. "I couldn't have done it without my team. I just stayed in system, did what my coaches told me and came out with the record."

Chelsea Goodman led the Cougar offense with 26 kills on the night while adding 15 digs to record her 18th double-double of the year. Erica Lott posted 14 kills and 13 digs for her 10th double-double, and Amy Schlauder recorded her fifth with 62 assists and 15 digs. Kim Sorensen notched 17 kills, and Rachel Dyer added 10.

Despite a battle throughout much of game one, the Gauchos went on a 7-3 run with the score tied 21-21 to take a 28-24 lead, getting the 30-27 win. The Cougars responded in game two but again found themselves facing game point at 29-27. However, back-to-back kills from Goodman and Lott followed by a block by Lott and Lindsy Hartsock turned the tide and gave BYU the game-point opportunity. But the mini-comeback was not to be as three straight Gaucho points left the Cougars in a two-game hole.

Game three looked like more of the same as UCSB got out to an 11-7 lead. Watson called a timeout and found the magic words to get the Cougars going as they came out with a 7-0 run, featuring three aces from Janvier Beaumont, to take a 14-11 lead. The match was never the same again as the momentum shifted in BYU's favor and the comeback bid was on with a 30-27 Cougar win.

"That run and the service of Beaumont was certainly a catalyst for us getting the momentum back," said Watson. "We just followed that lead and were able to continue what she started."

"Every time I serve, I just think 'this is for our seniors, this is what we've practiced for,'" said Beaumont. "I just kept pressuring and pressuring and eventually they folded."

The two teams battled it out to begin game four, leading to a 13-13 tie, until a 5-0 Cougar run gave BYU an 18-13 advantage from which they would never look back. The 30-21 win ended with a 6-1 Cougar spurt, setting BYU up for a game five for all the marbles.

The Cougars carried the momentum of the game-four finish into the fifth game as BYU began the period with a 6-0 lead. But, as they had done all match, the Gauchos were not about to let what had seemed like a sure win slip through their fingers so easily. UCSB responded to the Cougar challenge with a 9-4 run of its own to get a chance to tie it up at 10-9. But Sorensen had a different idea as she slammed home a cross-court kill to preserve the BYU lead. The Gauchos tried one more time at 12-11 but sent their serve into the net. Four plays later, Sorensen put the finishing touches on the comeback with her final kill of the night to give BYU the 15-12 win.

"I have to give BYU credit," said UCSB head coach Kathy Gregory, who has coached her team to 26 NCAA Tournaments. "They played a great match. I hope they go on and do well."

BYU will now face No. 6 USC, winner of its First Round match against Ole Miss, Friday night at 7 p.m. PST on the Trojans' home court in the Second Round. The match is available live via BYU Radio, an Internet video stream and live stats.

                              Volleyball Box Score
                                  BYU Cougars
   UC Santa Barbara vs #23 BYU Cougars (Nov 30, 2006 at Los Angeles, Calif.)
    UC Santa Barbara       |     ATTACK      |SET| SERVE |SRV|DEF|  BLOCK |GEN
 ## Name                 GP|  K   E  TA   PCT|  A| SA  SE| RE|DIG|BS BA BE|BHE
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 7  Waldowski, Olivia...  5| 12   4  33  .242|  1|  1   2|  0|  7| 0  2  0|  0
 8  Quirarte, Brett.....  5| 10   5  29  .172|  0|  0   0|  0|  2| 3  2  1|  0
 13 Garbisch, Jamie.....  5| 18  13  77  .065|  0|  5   3|  0| 12| 0  1  0|  0
 16 McLaughlin, Lauren..  5| 12   8  44  .091|  1|  0   0|  0| 14| 1  0  0|  0
 21 Saraceno, Rebecca...  5| 12   5  26  .269|  1|  1   2|  0|  6| 1  3  0|  1
 32 Brandt, Stephanie...  5|  2   2   6  .000| 58|  2   3|  0|  9| 0  0  0|  3
 2  Stephenson, Leigh...  5|  0   0   0  .000|  0|  0   0|  0|  5| 0  0  0|  0
 5  Leite, Debora.......  3|  0   0   0  .000|  0|  0   0|  0|  1| 0  0  0|  0
 9  Hendrickson, Emily..  5|  0   0   0  .000|  1|  0   0|  5| 32| 0  0  0|  0
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..............  5| 66  37 215  .135| 62|  9  10|  5| 88| 5  8  1|  4
 TEAM ATTACK PER GAME                               TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 9.0
 Game  K  E  TA   Pct
   1  17  7  46  .217   GAME SCORES               1  2  3  4  5  TEAM RECORDS
   2  18  8  53  .189   UC Santa Barbara.... (2) 30 32 27 21 12  19-12
   3  14  9  49  .102   BYU Cougars......... (3) 27 30 30 30 15  25-5
   4  11  7  43  .093
   5   6  6  24  .000
    BYU Cougars            |     ATTACK      |SET| SERVE |SRV|DEF|  BLOCK |GEN
 ## Name                 GP|  K   E  TA   PCT|  A| SA  SE| RE|DIG|BS BA BE|BHE
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1  GOODMAN, Chelsea....  5| 26   7  62  .306|  0|  1   4|  4| 15| 2  3  1|  1
 2  BEAUMONT, Janvier...  5|  0   0   1  .000|  1|  4   2|  3|  8| 0  0  0|  0
 10 LOTT, Erica.........  5| 14   9  44  .114|  3|  0   3|  1| 13| 0  3  1|  0
 14 HARTSOCK, Lindsy....  5|  8   2  21  .286|  1|  0   4|  0|  2| 1  4  0|  0
 15 SCHLAUDER, Amy......  5|  1   0   5  .200| 62|  0   3|  0| 15| 0  1  0|  2
 44 DYER, Rachel........  5| 10   2  27  .296|  1|  0   0|  0|  2| 0  2  0|  0
 7  SORENSEN, Kim.......  5| 17   6  53  .208|  0|  0   0|  0|  4| 0  2  0|  0
 11 PINEGAR, Annie......  5|  0   0   1  .000|  1|  0   1|  1| 42| 0  0  0|  0
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..............  5| 76  26 214  .234| 69|  5  17|  9|101| 3 15  2|  3
 TEAM ATTACK PER GAME                               TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 10.5
 Game  K  E  TA   Pct
   1  17  5  49  .245   Site: Los Angeles, Calif. (Galen Center)
   2  17  7  51  .196   Date: Nov 30, 2006   Attend: 312   Time: 2:38
   3  15  6  49  .184   Referees: Eric Asami, Patsy Malta
   4  20  6  47  .298
   5   7  2  18  .278

PROVO -- For the 23rd time in the 26-year existence of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship, the BYU women's volleyball team has qualified for the annual postseason tournament. The No. 22-ranked Cougars received one of 33 at-large selections Sunday after achieving a 24-5 overall record.

"We feel very good about getting back to the NCAA Tournament," BYU head coach Jason Watson said. "BYU has a rich history of competing in the NCAA Championship. Our athletes worked extremely hard this season to put us in a position to continue the legacy our program has achieved over the years."

The Cougars will play UC Santa Barbara (19-11, 8-6 Big West Conference) Thursday at 5 p.m. PST (6 p.m. MST) in a first-round matchup hosted by the University of Southern California at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. The winner of the BYU-UCSB match will play Friday night at 7 p.m. PST against the winner of the No. 5-seeded USC and Mississippi contest slated for 7 p.m. PST Thursday.

"UCSB is a team that has competed well this year and is very deserving of its selection," said Watson. "We have a lot of work to do between now and Thursday, but we look forward to the challenge."

The Gauchos finished the regular season 19-11 overall, including three-game losses at Stanford and at UNLV, and 8-6 in the Big West Conference. UCSB has received an invitation to all 26 NCAA Tournaments and enters this year's contest having won its last five matches. The Gaucho are led by senior outside hitter Jamie Garbisch with 3.98 kills per game, while senior middle blocker Olivia Waldowski adds 3.53 kpg on .401 hitting - 17th in the nation - in addition to 0.98 blocks per game. Junior middle blocker Brett Quirarte leads the team with 1.10 bpg and hits .321 with 2.80 kpg. Senior libero Emily Hendrickson puts up 5.28 digs per game. As a team, the Guachos are hitting .223 while allowing opponents to hit .188. UCSB averages 15.55 kpg and 2.31 bpg.

Thursday's match will be the 17th meeting between BYU and UCSB and their second NCAA Tournament matchup. BYU holds a 9-6-1 advantage in the overall series, including a regional-round loss to the Gauchos in Provo during the 1981 NCAA Tournament. UCSB, along with Penn State and Stanford, holds the distinction of making the most NCAA Tournament appearances at 26.

BYU played against four schools this year that qualified for the 64-team field, earning a 4-2 record against those teams, including a four-game victory over No. 2-seeded Stanford. BYU also defeated tournament teams Arkansas (3-0) and Colorado State (3-3, 3-2) while going 0-2 against the Utah Utes (1-3, 0-3).

BYU is tied for ninth in all-time appearances with its 23rd selection this season and is the 11th-winningest team in NCAA Tournament history with a 27-22 record. BYU's last appearance in the NCAA Tournament was last season when the Cougars lost to Pepperdine, who advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, in the first round also in Los Angeles.

The Cougars have advanced to the second round in 17 of their prior 22 appearances, with a 12-5 first-round record and five automatic byes. The Cougars have made 14 Sweet Sixteen appearances in their 22 bids and advanced to eight Elite Eight Regional Finals. BYU's top finish in the NCAA Tournament came in 1993 when the Cougars advanced to the NCAA Final Four before losing in the national semifinals to Penn State.