Westmont College had an interesting week, taking alternate roads to a pair of five-set wins in women’s volleyball.
Coach Ruth McGolpin explained how they did it to the crowd at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon on Monday at Harry’s Plaza Café.
The Warriors took a 2-0 lead on Menlo and then won the GSAC match in five sets on Friday night in Murchison Gym. They came back on Saturday at 2 p.m. and posted a “reverse sweep”, dropping the first two sets to William Jessup, then winning the last three.
It was the first time the 17th-ranked Warriors (17-3) had been down 2-0 in sets this year.
“In the second set, we went from a 6-2 to a 5-1 offense, which we hadn’t done since training camp,” said McGolpin. “In set 3, we decided to start our freshman setter and two freshmen middles. They played amazing volleyball and we ended up with a reverse sweep, which is rare in volleyball.”
UCSB Women’s Volleyball
The Gauchos are off to a super start with a 15-1 record and 13 straight wins.
“It’s been a fun ride so far,” said seventh-year head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch. “We held UC Davis to a .052 hitting percentage, then came back on Saturday night and played to the best of our ability with our highest hitting percentage in more than 10 years (.452). Our two big guns were Tallulah Froley (15 kills) and Lindsey Ruddins (12 kills).
The Gauchos swept UC Riverside 3-0, holding the Highlanders to 8, 5 and 15 points.
“We have a big match this week when we host No. 19 Hawaii on Saturday at 7 in the Thunderdome,” she added. “It’s going to be High School Night and any high schooler with an ID can get into the match for $1.”
SBCC Women’s Volleyball
The Vaqueros (5-9) swept the Cal Lutheran JV and dropped a 3-1 decision to Ventura on Friday night. SBCC set an all-time scoring record for Community College schools in the second set when they outlasted the Pirates 45-43. Maranda Newson served an ace for the 45th point to end the marathon set that lasted 68 minutes.
“That was a pretty cool experience, playing in the longest set in California history,” said first-year coach Kat Niksto. “That set lasted over an hour, which was longer than the Cal Lutheran match.”
The Vaqueros are home on Wednesday and Friday against L.A. Pierce and Cuesta. Wednesday night will be High School Player Night with all prep players and coaches getting in free with their student ID or a jersey or team shirt.
Santa Barbara Girls Volleyball
The Dons graduated eight seniors off last year’s team and they have four sophomores in the current starting lineup.
“It’s been a bit of a learning curve,” said coach Ariana Garner. “We always battle, we’ve just been coming up a little short.”
Garner on senior Anabel Caesar: “I’ve had Anabel for the last three years and she was a star outside hitter on the JV. Now she’s converted to a middle and volleyball players know that nobody ever wants to play middle. She’s done a good job taking the lead as one of our co-captains and she’s been a great liason for the coaching staff and the girls. She leaves everything on the court in every single match.”
On junior libero Hayden Randolph: “Hayden is a beach player who’s been playing indoors for two years. She plays cagey defense and she’s the kind of player who will run through chairs or walls to get the ball up. She’s very coachable and an awesome teammate. She averages 17 digs per set and has 323 digs for the season.”
Carpinteria Girls Volleyball
Lucy Carleton, the Warriors’ soccer coach, relayed the comments of volleyball coach Dino Garcia.
Garcia on Malia Shellabarger: “She’s our captain and has excellent leadership skills and fights hard, win or lose. She has a high volleyball IQ with a great competitive spirit. She’s hoping the Warriors can get past the first round of the CIF playoffs.”
Garcia on Sarah Weitzman: “She plays opposite and she’s a go-to hitter. She’s the type of player you always want on a team – commited, coachable and has fun, all in one. Her defense helps the Warriors stop big hitters on the outside and her offense gives us power at the pins.”
Santa Barbara Football
The Dons knocked off the Royals 38-12 in the Big Game, which drew 5,000 fans to La Playa Stadium.
Coach JT Stone on Noach Wood: “Noach (pronounced Noah) is my guy. We had a couple of instances where I’ve been fed up and tired of having to treat them like 5-year-olds. Noach’s done a great job of taking the bull by the horns and leading this team. He’s so valuable to this team in so many ways.
On Chase Kamin: “He’s our right tackle who I’ve been coaching for quite a while. He’s the anchor of our offensive line. After the St. Bonaventure game, we had a heart-to-heart and I told him that he can’t be making excuses. He really understood what we were talking about and he’s had two wonderful games since then. I’m very proud of his effort and he’s been a rock for this team.
“It was great to see such a big crowd at Santa Barbara City College,” said Stone. “That’s the largest crowd we’ve had there in a very long time. We got into a zone in the first half and we had a stern talk at halftime, then they fixed it in the second half.”
The Dons have had their eye on Santa Ynez since the Pirates beat them last year. They’ll host Santa Ynez on Friday night at Dos Pueblos.
San Marcos Football
“I was really proud of our defense which gave us an opportunity to compete in the first half,” said Royals coach Jason Fowle. “Santa Barbara has a very good offensive and defensive front and they pushed us around and wore us down a little bit. Even in the second half when it was 25-6, I still felt like we were in the game.”
Fowle on Lance Sterndahl: “He’s a really special young man, he’s played a lot of positions for us. He embodies the idea of getting a little better every day. He’s always asking good questions. We finally threw him in on defense and he did a pretty good job. He had an interception in the first half and a fumble recovery. He just gets better and better every week and we’re extremely proud of him, on and off the field.”
The Royals will host Cabrillo on Friday at Warkentin Field.
Dos Pueblos Football
The Chargers got their first win of the year, beating Cabrillo 40-13 on the road.
Coach Doug Caines on Alejandro Castanon: “He’s had to overcome some adversity, starting the year at corner and then due to injuries, he had to jump to outside linebacker. He made two big-time sacks to finish off this game and that’s a testament to him learning a new position and finally causing some of those coverage sacks to take place. He had some health complications that kept him off the field for quite a while. Anyone in that situation might have just hung ‘em up and said, ‘I’m done.’ He made the commitment to be a gladiator and finish it out in his senior year. He’s beome an amazing player.”
On Jesus Aguilar: “He’s had to play both ways and play multiple positions on the offensive line. One thing that goes unnoticed is his ability as a leader and that’s important because I’m one guy coaching 55 players. But having peer pressure is a good motivator to keep working hard.”
The Chargers will play at Lompoc High for the second straight week on Friday when they take on Lompoc.
Laguna Blanca Football
Coach Shane Lopes on freshman Francisco Baron: “He’s the third of three brothers that I’ve coached at Laguna. He’s very athletic and very committed to the team. He plays like a varsity player, starting at running back and corner and he played outside backer in our last game when he scored a couple of touchdowns.”
On senior captain Christian Branch: “He’s coming off an injury and he’s back starting at quarterback. He represents many qualities that we value at Laguna. As a quarterback, he’s not only is athletic but he stands in the pocket and is composed. He also executed a play that we didn’t even practice. He was the kicker in an onside kick and we recovered it in the fourth quarter.
“We’re 0-4 and it’s easy to be negative in this situation. But there’s a lot more to the story than your record. We’ve got guys who are football players now. There’s a couple guys who’ve really stepped up. We have to get more consistency.”
Santa Barbara Girls Golf
The Dons are off to a perfect start with a 13-0 overall record and 6-0 in the Channel League.
Coach Adam Throop on Maddie Malmsten: “I’m so lucky to have had her for four years. Yes, she averages 46 and yes, she drives the ball 230 yards but more importantly, she’s a very good human being. She finishes practice and then she goes surfing. She was second in a surfing contest in Zuma last weekend. She has apirations to be on the Olympic surfing team.”
On senior Allie Womack: She’s another rock on our team who provides a lot of depth. She also averages 46 and she was All-Channel League, second team last year. I know she hopes to be first team this year. She probably has the best technical swing on the team and hits it the straightest. It doesn’t go the furthest but it can play on any course, in or out of town. She has a 4.7 GPA and has never gotten a B-plus. That includes lots of AP courses, some with names I can’t prounce. She’s an outstanding human being and I’ll be bummed to lose her this year.”
The Dons will take on DP and San Marcos at La Cumbre this week.
Dos Pueblos Girls Golf
Coach Dan Choi brought two players who played great in a win over Cabrillo, a team that beat the Chargers by 30 shots in the first meeting.
Choi on Maggie Tang: “She had her all-time best score. She played her freshman and sophomore year and didn’t get any better. We talked to her and said, ‘If you’re going to take this seriously, here are the things you need to do.’ She had an amazing turnaround and she’s been a wonderful leader and player the last two years.”
On freshman Chelsi Ramirez: “I met Chelsi when she was very young. She has two older sisters who have a great reputation in golf. She’s developed into her own player and she’s made amazing progress as basically a first-year golfer. She’s been in the 50s for a while and I know she’ll break 50 in the near future.”
San Marcos Girls Golf
Coach Sarah Ashton brought three golfers to the luncheon. “We have a team with different abilities and range of talent. We have some girls who are new to the sport and these three have taken on the job of mentoring.”
Ashton on senior Alex Manion: “She’s been our leader this season, medaling in seven of our matches and her season best is 40 over at Glen Annie.”
On Sofia Tasca: “Sofia has been doing a large share of the mentoring and I often pair her with one of the new girls. She shot a season-best 38 at Soule Park a couple of weeks ago.”
On Caya Castelo: “She’s in the Health Academy, so I’ve enjoyed not only coaching her but also teaching her in class. She’s a great all-around kid who continues to improve. She’s shot her personal best four times and she keeps getting better.”
UCSB Women’s Soccer
Assistant coach Mario Felix reported that the Gauchos blanked Long Beach State 1-0 in their Big West opener after dropping two games to the 49ers last year, including 2-0 in the conference final.
Senior forward Shaelan Murison leads the Big West in goals (8) and is second in points with 20.
UCSB (5-3-3) travels to UC Davis on Thursday.
Westmont Men’s Soccer
The Warriors are enjoying their best start ever with an 8-1 record and a No. 4 NAIA national ranking.
“While I’ve been surprised most of the year, I was impressed on Saturday,” said veteran coach Dave Wolf. “We went down a goal on the road to a very, very good Menlo College team and I didn’t think it was a day that we had it in the tank to come back.
“Our guys had other ideas and we took the lead in the second half. Then we took a psychological blow by conceding a goal in the last couple of minutes to tie the score. We found a way to win it 3-2 in extra time.
“I feel like I’m just a spectator on the periphery of the group right now and I’m plenty happy just to stay right there.”
The Warriors will host defending GSAC champion Vanguard on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
San Marcos Cross Country
Coach Lawrence Stehmeier brought four athletes, one from each grade.
Stehmeier on senior Louisa Zadeh: “She’s consistently our 3rd or 4th runner and I keep trying to push her to 3rd. She knows that will take a little pain and agony but I think she’s ready for it.”
On freshman Shaina King: “She had a great race at our last league meet. Our No. 1 runner was trying to race with an ankle injury. After a mile and a quarter, she said she can’t do this, that it’s killing her, so we pulled her out. When Shaina came by, I told her, ‘You’re now No. 1’ and she just took off. Up to that point, she was a little afraid to take the lead but now she knows what she can do. We finished third at league without our No. 1, which is a huge point swing.”
On sophomore Jacob Snodgress: “He’s doing a great job and has been battling for the No. 1 spot with Will Smith. They’re both great runners and great athletes. Will was in second place and the first runner took a wrong turn and Will ran for about 20 yards and realized he was going in the wrong direction, so he turned around. Jacob just took over and fought all the way to finish third.”
On junior Chase Plourde: “He consistently runs the same time, no matter how hard the course is. Everyone keys off of that and it’s been a great tool to bring everyone up to his level. When I asked who wants to be the next one to break 16 minutes, Chase was the first one to raise his hand. That’s fantastic because that means we’ll probably have five guys breaking 16.”
Dos Pueblos Cross Country
JV coach Jenessa Rosenberger on freshman Phoebe Wolf-Lyons: “She’s a freshman and she always comes to practice ready to go with a smile on her face, no matter how she’s feeling that day. She brings a lot of positive energy.”
On Joseph Pearlman: “He’s also ready to go at practice. He’s always developing his form in a way that is correct with good posture that helps him run his races the best that he can.”
Wolf-Lyons won the girls varsity race and Pearlman was first in the 3-mile boys race in 15:39. All four of DP’s teams took first place at Cabrillo.
Santa Barbara Cross Country
“We got our two senior captains back for the Channel League Midseason meet and Jake Ballantine finished second and AJ Reyes was 12th while battling the flu,” said assistant coach Moki Nacario. “On the girls side, we finished fourth by four points.”
Carpinteria Cross Country
Lucy Carleton reported for coach Angel Silva and brought a runner from each grade level.
Silva on senior Victor Rinaldi: “He always practices with intensity and sets the tone for team workouts. You can count on him to step it up. He’s coming offa knee injury and expects to race in our next meet.”
On junior Monse Alpizar: “She gave up her career as a cheerleader for the hard work and fame of a cross country runner. She placed third at the Raider Invitational.”
On sophomore Kate Cooney: “She also medaled at the Raider Invitational in Oxnard. She is very determined and has the heart of a lioness. That can be worrisome because sometimes she’ll still run even if she’s hurt.”
On freshman Hugo Alvarado: “He’s quite exciting to watch and he medaled at the Raider Invitational. He works really hard, is eager to learn and wants to improve after each meet.”
The foursome will all be running in the Twilight Meet at Lake Casitas on Wednesday.
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