This Week's Schedule
Asics Active Ankle Invitational hosted by Long Beach State

Friday, March 18
No. 5 UC Santa Barbara (11-8, 11-5 MPSF)
vs. Indiana/Purdue-Fort Wayne (8-8, 6-4 MIVA)
First Serve 5:30 p.m.

• The Gauchos redeemed themselves last season against Indiana/Purdue-Fort Wayne, topping the Mastadons in three straight. In 2003, IPFW picked up just its second win ever in 15 tries. Santa Barbara now holds the all-time series advantage at 14-2.

Saturday, March 19
No. 5 UC Santa Barbara (11-8, 11-5 MPSF)
vs. Rutgers (8-6, 5-2 EIVA)
First Serve 5:30 p.m.

• UCSB will be facing Rutgers for just the fourth time in program history this weekend having never lost to the Scarlet Knights. The Gauchos last squared off with Rutgers, who is currently 8-6 on the season and sitting in third place in the EIVA Tait Division, in 1999.

Broken Record
It seems to be the same thing written week after week, but when a player is as good as sophomore All-American Evan Patak is, it is hard to ignore. Currently leading the nation averaging 5.91 kills per game, his 390 kills on the season, now just beyond its midpoint, is just 42 shy of his career-high that he established last season and 23 shy of UCSB's single-season top ten. And with just over a season and a half under his belt, Patak is only eight kills shy of breaking into the Gauchos' all-time top ten with 822 in his career.


For Another Three Years
Head coach Ken Preston mentioned at the start of the season that middle blocker Theo Brunner was going to be a player watch, but I don't think he ever thought the freshman would be making as big of an impact as he is. The Gauchos are currently swinging away at a .328 clip, the eighth highest average in the nation, and currently the third best in school history, thanks in large part due to the efficiency of Brunner on the attack. With a team second-best 164 kills on the year, Brunner has produced the second-highest attack percentage in the nation at .522, and the highest of any player with at least 150 kills. So far he has hit .500 or better on five different occasions this year, including a team match-high .889 against now No. 1 Pepperdine in early February.

Disco Demolition (Breaking Records: Part Two)
UCSB's single-season service ace record is more than likely going to fall this weekend at the hands of Evan Patak. Fourth in the nation averaging .53 aces per game entering this weekend's contests, Patak's total of 35 is just two short of the Gaucho alum and former assistant coach Jose "Keno" Gandara's single-season record set in 1988. Currently matched up with himself tied for fourth on the single-season list, Patak will mostly likely set a new UCSB career record this season as well. With nine regular season matches remaining on the schedule, his 70 career aces is just seven short of Donny Harris' tally of 77, which he rang up between 1994 and 1997.