UC Santa Cruz opened the 2023 season with two wins over Northwest Conference opponents on Friday.

The Banana Slugs swept Whitman 25-22, 25-19, 25-15 at the West Field House. In the evening match at Kaiser Permanente Arena, they rallied to defeat George Fox in five (22-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-16,15-11).

In the early match, UC Santa Cruz outhit the Blues .310 to .124 and had eight aces to Whitman's three. The Banana Slugs finished the first set on a 5-1 run and closed the final set on a 10-2 run to put Whitman away.

Down two sets to one in the evening match against George Fox, UC Santa Cruz took control in the fourth with a 12-2 run to take a 23-13 lead in the eventual win. The Banana Slugs found their groove again in the pivotal fifth when they were down 4-0 but eventually tied it at 6-all with a kill by First Year Kate Lau. A 7-2 run followed that gave UC Santa Cruz a 13-8 lead before they finished with the win.

"Our coaches are big on intentional huddles, so we take our time to refocus and reset," said Peyton Tazelaar about the late-match rallies. "Our bench cheers us on the entire time and they're the ones that keep up our energy."

Four Banana Slugs had double-digit kills against the Bruins, led by Drew Bryant with 12. Libero Emily Pasion had 20 digs in both matches. First Year setters Sydney May and Alessandra Ponzo had 30 and 22 assists respectively against George Fox, with May earning a double-double and adding 13 digs.
"Speaking as a hitter, they're doing great," said Tazelaar who finished with 10 kills . "It's a lot of pressure to step out there as some of the youngest players on the team, and I'm so proud of them."

The Banana Slugs play two more matches on Saturday, beginning with Cal Lutheran at 2pm at Kaiser Permanente Arena.