COLORADO SPRINGS - Coming off their first loss in fifteen matches, 20th-ranked UC Santa Cruz got back on the winning track Saturday at the Pikes Peak Challenge.
The Banana Slugs swept Nebraska Wesleyan 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-12) and beat DeSales 3-1 (25-7, 25-16, 23-25, 25-18). The team leaves Colorado with a 17-2 record.

In the early match, the Banana Slugs were never threatened, hitting .357 overall and holding NWU to .024. 
Claire Okerlund led UCSC with 13 kills, with Isabella Hoglund adding 8. Samantha Taylor had 7 kills along with four of the Slugs' 12 service aces. Sinead Beaupain had 15 assists to go over 900 for her career.

The second match started in similar fashion as UC Santa Cruz hit .500 and .300 in the first two sets while holding DeSales to negative hitting for a quick 2-0 lead. The third set was closer, with 13 ties and DeSales hitting .344 to hold off the Slugs late and prevent a sweep. However, UC Santa Cruz found their killer instinct again in the fourth, hitting .625 without a single error to finish off the match.
Okerlund had team-highs of 15 kills and 13 digs. Kelly Ann Greene had 10 kills and hit .833 with fellow Freshman Audrey Gilbert had 8 kills and a .727 hitting to go with a pair of block assists. Overall, the Banana Slugs hit .377 in the match.

"It was a great weekend for us finishing 3-1 on the road again," said head coach Gabrielle Houston. "I'm really proud of how the team played all weekend and especially the battle with Colorado College. It really shows how we are right there amongst the top teams. We are looking forward to our next road trip to Wisconsin (for the C2C Tournament)."

The Banana Slugs hosts Mills College Wednesday night at Kaiser Permanente Arena.