UC Santa Barbara Women’s Volleyball secured an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, giving them a chance to extend their historic season.
The Gauchos will face off against No. 8 University of Houston in the opening round of the Stanford Regional in Palo Alto on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Houston went 18-9 in the regular season, finished fifth in the Big 12 and ended the year ranked as the No. 22-ranked team in the nation.
Despite falling in the semifinals of the Big West tournament, UCSB’s performance in the regular season was enough to grab a spot to compete on the national stage.
In the regular season, the Gauchos went 27-3 with a conference mark of 17-1. It was the second time in program history with just one loss in Big West competition.
They also impressed against the nation’s best, going 9-2 against Top-100 teams and 4-1 against Top-50 opponents.
Led by Big West Player of the Year Michelle Ohwobete and Big West Libero of the Year Macall Peed, UCSB has showcased a balanced attack all season long with plenty of production both offensively and defensively.
On the sidelines, first-year head coach Matt Jones was named Big West Coach of the Year and helped the Gauchos receive votes in the AVCA Coaches’ Poll throughout the season.
Ohwobete, Peed and Jones will look to spearhead a potential postseason run for the Gauchos beginning on Friday.
