Category: keyt-local-news

Mike Klan

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas.- No. 32 UC Santa Barbara Women’s Tennis team (17-9) battled in their NCAA Tournament second round matchup against reigning national champion No. 2 Texas A&M (27-3) on Saturday, which ultimately ended as a 4-1 Aggies win. After dropping the doubles point, the Gauchos had an admirable showing in singles but could not pull off the upset. They end the year with 17 wins, including a Big West Championship and NCAA Tournament win, one of the most successful seasons in recent program history.

THE MATCHFinal: No. 2 Texas A&M 4, No. 32 UC Santa Barbara 1Records: UC Santa Barbara (17-9), Texas A&M (27-3)

HOW IT HAPPENEDThe hosts won the doubles point in quick fashion. After a 6-0 victory on court three, another 6-2 win on court two gave the Aggies a 1-0 advantage into singles.

Almost simultaneously, Raphaelle Leroux earned a singles point on court four—6-1, 6-3—as Texas A&M won 6-3, 6-1 on court five. Shortly after, the Aggies would claim their third point with a 6-2, 6-4 victory on court two. Dropping the first sets on court one and three via tiebreak, and on court six 6-3, the Gauchos’ backs were against the wall.

They stayed confident and resilient in the remaining matches, though, despite the toughness of their opponents. Katarina Vayser won court six’s second set 7-5, and Tyra Richardson dominated to a 6-1 second set victory on court three. No. 16 Amelia Honer came back from down 5-2 against the Aggies’ No. 1 Mary Stoiana, winning four in a row to flip the score 6-5 in her favor. Unfortunately for the Gauchos, Texas A&M would take the third set on court six to clinch the match, 4-1.

RESULTSDoubles

Mary Stoiana/Mia Kupres (A&M) vs. Amelia Honer/Ali Benedetto (UCSB) 5-2 unfinished

Lexington Reed/Daria Smetannikov (A&M) def. Lucy Lu/Lily Pradkin (UCSB) 6-2

Nicole Khirin/Lucciana Perez (A&M) def. Marie Weissheim/Raphaelle Leroux (UCSB) 6-0

Order of finish: 3, 2

Singles

#1 Mary Stoiana (A&M) vs. #16 Amelia Honer (UCSB) 7-6 (7-1), 5-6 unfinished

#13 Nicole Khirin (A&M) def. Marie Weissheim (UCSB) 6-2, 6-4

Tyra Richardson (UCSB) vs. #67 Mia Kupres (A&M) 6-7 (11-9), 6-1, 3-0 unfinished

Raphaelle Leroux (UCSB) def. #51 Lucciana Perez (A&M) 6-1, 6-3

#109 Daria Smetannikov (A&M) def. Emma Tutoveanu (UCSB) 6-3, 6-1

Lexington Reed (A&M) def. Katarina Vayser (UCSB) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1

Order of finish: 5, 4, 2, 6

IN CONCLUSION…In 2025, UC Santa Barbara Women’s Tennis went undefeated (11-0) against conference opponents on the way to their third Big West Championship of the past five years and fifth of the past nine years. With their win over No. 39 Rice on Friday, the Gauchos reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time, also doing so in 2022 and 2016.

Amelia Honer soon will graduate as one of the most, if not the most, decorated Gauchos in program history. With five underclassmen in Santa Barbara’s lineups today, the program looks to be in good hands for the years to come.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics).

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Caleb Nguyen

ISLA VISTA, Calif. – Fire crews helped with a water rescue off Camino Majorca and Del Playa Drive in Isla Vista just before 5:15 p.m. Saturday, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Two sailors were helped to Goleta Beach without medical complaints thanks to four firefighter ocean rescuers getting them to safety, according to the SBCFD.

Two emergency vehicles helped the two sailors and their boat after it was found 3/4 of a mile off the coast of the beach.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.- It’s the annual nation wide Free Comic Book Day.

“Free comic day is by far our biggest day of the year, we get about a thousand people in the door,” said Metro Entertainment store owner in Santa Barbara Bob Ficarra. “It’s a great community event we love giving away free stuff, we love seeing the kids get big piles of comics and walking away with big smiles on their faces. 

For years, the comic shops take part in giving away free books the first Saturday of May.

“I tell all kinds of people, I’ve told multiple people and even in other states or cities I say it’s a national thing,” said shopper, Santiago Williams.

And Saturday the Central Coast went to their local comic book store to shop and collect free books.“We are giving away so much great brand new reading material and art to the community, they get to jump into comics for the first time ever,” said Carla Hoffman, who was handing our free comic books at Metro Entertainment. “We have a lot of kids this is their first comic so this is really exciting for them. We are part of a community here, very important  geeky community that covers games, it covers toys, it covers t-shirts, comic books, graphic novels, the whole works so we want to make sure everyone is welcomed as possible.”

The owner of the store says the community has been very supportive despite the recent robbery.

Days ago the store on Anapamu street was robbed for the second time in the last four months.

“The robbery had a big effect on our business for the month in terms of loss and expenses paying for new windows and things like that, but if anything the community rallies around us and comes to support us even more,” said Ficarra.

The community sure did show up to support and shop, whether it be groups of friends or families joining together.

“I love to see kids reading, I love to see kids getting into comics, I love to see kids imaginations grow.” said Hoffman.

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Caleb Nguyen

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. –  A 21-year-old drunk driver severely injured himself and two construction workers after crashing his Toyota into a CalTrans vehicle just before 11:00 p.m. Friday, according to the CHP.

The Oxnard drunk driver hit a construction vehicle and two workers standing outside it on Highway 101 north of Main St., sending himself and a 24-year-old Bell man to the hospital for their serious injuries, according to the CHP.

Another 54-year-old worker was sent to the hospital for his minor injuries, according to the CHP.

Anyone with more information on the crash during this active investigation is asked to contact the CHP.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. –

High School Baseball:

Santa Barbara 3, Pacifica 0

Ventura 6, Dos Pueblos 0

(SB and Ventura co-Channel League champs)

San Marcos 4, Buena 3

College Baseball:

CS Fullerton 3, UCSB 2

Cal Poly 4, CS Bakersfield 1

College Beach Volleyball:

Cal Poly 4, LSU 1

CIF High School Boys Volleyball:

Division 3 Round 2

Orange Lutheran 3, San Marcos 1

Division 7 Round 2

San Jacinto 3, Ventura 2

CIF High School Boys Lacrosse:

Division 2 Round 2

Dos Pueblos 15, El Segundo 7

Division 3, Round 2

ML King 15, Santa Barbara 9

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Mike Klan

MONTECITO, Calif. -Westmont Baseball (38-12, 33-10) celebrated the end of the conference schedule by claiming the PacWest Regular Season Championship. This is the first PacWest regular season championship team won by a Westmont team.

The Warriors won the first game 10-0 behind a six-inning performance by Ryan Humphreys, who improved to 10-1 on the season. Azusa Pacific won the second game 9-8.

In six scoreless innings, Humphreys allowed just three hits, struck out six and walked one.

“I thought Ryan did an incredible job,” said Westmont’s head coach Paul Svagdis. “We had him on a pitch count going into the game. He was able to hit that number and feel good.

PCPA Theatre – Waitress – ROS 300 x 250“Coming out of a doubleheader and knowing you have the conference tournament and playoffs after that, you want to walk out healthy. To keep our pitchers at a certain pitch count was great. Ryan set the tone and was able to get six innings in his pitch count.”

“I try to go out there and try to fill it up and let the defense play behind me,” said Humphreys. “The defense has been great all year. We play good baseball. I don’t try to do too much.”

Caden Beloian pitched a scoreless seventh, striking out three batters. As a result, the game ended after seven innings due to the PacWest’s mercy rule.

With one away in the top of the first, Michael Soper doubled with a line drive down the left field line. Then with two away, Bryce McFeely singled to right-center field, driving in Soper for the first run of the game.

An error by the Cougars’ third baseman allowed Trey Dunn to reach while McFeely took second. Jesse DiMaggio then put a ground ball through the hole between first and second, plating McFeely and giving the Warriors runners at first and second.

That brought up Jack Bollingier, whose shot to right field cleared the fence by a foot and one-half for a three-run home run. Shane Hofstadler made it a 6-0 game with a no-doubter home run to left.

“It makes my job a lot easier,” said Humphreys about being spotted a six-run lead before taking the mound. “Our guys have been raking all year. We broke the single season home run record as a team.

“They are all studs and do a great job. It makes it a whole lot easier for me to go out there and throw strikes and just play the game.”

The Warriors have now hit 73 home runs, outpacing the 2021 squad that held the previous record with 66.

Soper reached again in the second inning with a one-out single to right. When Daniel Patterson singled to right center, Soper took third. That brought up McFeely who produced an RBI-single to center, giving Westmont a 7-0 advantage.

In the top of the fifth, Bollengier reached on a single with two away ahead of Hofstadler. The senior catcher drove his second home run of the day over the fence in left-center field for a two run home run. Hofstadler’s second and third RBIs of the game made it a 9-0 game.

The Warriors added another run in the top of the seventh. Di Maggio hit a single up the middle, then took second on an error that allowed Bollengier to reach first.

Mora grounded up the middle on a fielder’s choice. An error on the play allowed Di Maggio to score from third.

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“I am excited for the seniors,” said Svagdis. “With all the coaching transitions they have had, to be able to see them win the regular season is great. I told them at the end of the game, ‘I have coached in the league for a while and they are one of the best teams I’ve been around.’”

“I personally think this program is the greatest thing in the world,” said Humphreys. “My freshman year, I came in under coach Ruiz. During my freshman year, he was very adamant in telling the story of what it took to build this program into what it is today.

“I think being invested in that and being here over the last five years, it is really cool to see where it was at when I came in and where it is at now. That is a testament to the brotherhood we have here.

“These guys are my best friends. We go out and play baseball and have a good time. This program is extremely special to me. I don’t think there is anything like it.”

Regarding heading into postseason play, Humphreys said, “I think it is starting to be just an expectation for us with the work we have put in and where the program has come from over the last 10-15 years.

“Our athletic department did a great job getting us into postseason eligibility a year early. We feel like we have a job to do. We have to pay it forward to them for giving us that opportunity. So, we are excited to get going with that. We still have a lot of work to do.”

Westmont will be the number one seed in next week’s PacWest Tournament that will be held at Fresno Pacific beginning Wednesday, May 7.

Point Loma (35-14, 31-12) and Hawai’i Pacific (29-19, 27-15) have also qualified for the tournament as the second and third seeds respectively. The fourth and final seed has not yet been decided.

Biola and Concordia split a doubleheader today. As a result, Biola holds a two-game lead over Concordia for the tournament berth. If Biola wins one game of tomorrow’s doubleheader, they will earn the number four seed and will be Westmont’s opponent in the first round of the PacWest Tournament.

If Concordia wins both, Concordia will be awarded the tournament berth and take on the Warriors next Wednesday.

“Baseball is not like other sports,” asserted Svagdis. “It is like a whole new season is starting again. I don’t think the seeding matters, because the top four or five teams in the league are good and baseball is hard to do.

“We are going to take a day off or two and let the seniors graduate. Then we will get back to work and try to tune some things up.”

(Article courtesy Westmont Athletics).

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Mike Klan

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 32 UC Santa Barbara Women’s Tennis team battled past No. 39 Rice in a dramatic 4-3 victory on Friday in the NCAA First Round at the Mitchell Tennis Center. With the win, the Gauchos advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

THE MATCHFinal: No. 32 UC Santa Barbara 4, No. 39 Rice 3Records: UC Santa Barbara 16-8, Rice 17-6

HOW IT HAPPENEDThe Gauchos came out firing in doubles, dominating on courts two and one to claim the early 1-0 lead. Lucy Lu and Lily Pradkin wasted no time with a 6-1 win on court two, followed by a 6-2 victory from Amelia Honer and Ali Benedetto on court one. Court three went unfinished with Rice leading 4-3.

In singles, the momentum swung back and forth throughout the afternoon. Rice tied the match when Francesca Maguina defeated Tyra Richardson on court three, but UCSB answered with a statement win on court one, where No. 16 Amelia Honer downed Darya Schwartzman 6-1, 6-4.

The Owls responded with win a win on court two before Raphaelle Leroux put the Gauchos back in front and setting the stage for freshman Emma Tutoveanu. The Owls earned their third point on court six, but that would be all they got. After dropping a tight first set in a tiebreak, Tutoveanu roared back to clinch the match on court five with a 6-2, 6-2 finish in the final two sets.

RESULTSDoubles

Honer/Benedetto (UCSB-W) def. Orav/Maguina (RICE) 6-2

Lu/Pradkin (UCSB-W) def. Schwartzman/Selvaraj (RICE) 6-1

Weissheim/Leroux (UCSB-W) vs. Ratkovic/Ashar (RICE) 3-4, unfinished

Order of Finish: 2, 1

Singles

#16 Amelia Honer (UCSB-W) def. Darya Schwartzman (RICE) 6-1, 6-4

Divna Ratkovic (RICE) def. Anna Weissheim (UCSB-W) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

Francesca Maguina (RICE) def. Tyra Richardson (UCSB-W) 6-1, 6-3

Raphaelle Leroux (UCSB-W) def. Nithesa Selvaraj (RICE) 6-3, 3-6, 6-0

Emma Tutoveanu (UCSB-W) def. Allison Zipoli (RICE) 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-2

Saara Orav (RICE) def. Katarina Vayser (UCSB-W) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3

Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2, 4, 6, 5

UP NEXTUC Santa Barbara advances to face No. 2 Texas A&M in the NCAA Second Round on Saturday, May 3. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT at the Mitchell Tennis Center.

(Article courtesy UCSB Athletics).

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Mike Klan

The No. 35 UC Santa Barbara Men’s Tennis team (18-5) played their NCAA Tournament first round matchup against No. 16 UCLA (17-8) on Friday, a 4-0 defeat that was much closer than the score indicates. The Gauchos conclude their season with 18 wins, the second time the program has reached that mark in the last seven seasons.

THE MATCHFinal: No. 16 UCLA 4, No. 35 UC Santa Barbara 0Records: UC Santa Barbara (18-5), UCLA (17-8)

HOW IT HAPPENEDThe Gauchos came just short of taking the opening doubles point. UCLA won 6-4 on court one before Diogo Morais and Charlie Underwood won a hard-fought No. 3 victory—7-6 (7-5)—that was as close as it gets. Unfortunately for Santa Barbara, the Bruins won 7-6 (7-2) on court two to begin the match up 1-0.

In singles, UCLA won 6-3, 6-2 on court three to double their lead to 2-0. No. 1 Gianluca Brunkow (7-5), No. 2 Dominique Rolland (6-4), and No. 4 Morais (6-4) all took their first sets, though, so the Gauchos still had a solid chance. However, two close sets on courts five and six contributed to the match’s early end; the Bruins won 7-6, 6-2 and 6-3, 7-5, respectively, to earn their fourth, clinching point. Brunkow and Morais were both leading in the third set of their ultimately unfinished matches, while Rolland was tied 4-4 in the second set of his.

RESULTSDoubles

Alexander Hoogmartens/Giacomo Revelli (UCLA) def. Gianluca Brunkow/Lucca Liu (UCSB) 6-4

Spencer Johnson/Aadarsh Tripathi (UCLA) def. Conrad Brown/Dominique Rolland (UCSB) 7-6 (7-2)

Diogo Morais/Charlie Underwood (UCSB) def. Gianluca Ballotta/Emon van Loben Sels (UCLA) 7-6 (7-5)

Order of finish: 1, 3, 2

Singles

#64 Gianluca Brunkow (UCSB) vs. #20 Rudy Quan (UCLA) 7-5, 2-6, 1-0 unfinished

Dominique Rolland (UCSB) vs. #110 Emon van Loben Sels (UCLA) 6-4, 4-4 unfinished

Kaylan Bigun (UCLA) def. Lucca Liu (UCSB) 6-3, 6-2

#118 Diogo Morais (UCSB) vs. Alexander Hoogmartens (UCLA) 6-4, 3-6, 2-1 unfinished

#35 Spencer Johnson (UCLA) def. Charlie Underwood (UCSB) 7-6, 6-2

Giacomo Revelli (UCLA) def. Matei Gavrea (UCSB) 6-3, 7-5

Order of finish: 3, 5, 6

IN CONCLUSION…In each of the past 10 completed seasons, the Gauchos have competed in the Big West Championship match, winning it seven times. Of the three times they finished runner-up, this season—2025—was the first time they received an at-large big to the NCAA Tournament.

With wins over nationally-ranked Pepperdine (23), UC Irvine (46), Utah (55) Santa Clara (60), LMU (72), UC Santa Barbara Men’s Tennis looks to continue its sustained success into next year and beyond.

(Article courtesy UCSB Athletics).

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Caleb Nguyen

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. – SpaceX plans to launch 27 Starlink satellites in support of a Falcon 9 Rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:13 a.m. Saturday.

Backup opportunities for the launch are available until 3:03 p.m. on the same day. Added launch opportunities are available on Sunday starting at 10:59 a.m..

Central Coast residents may feel the sonic boom from the impact of the launch.

Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

Live webcasts of the mission will be available five minutes before liftoff on both the Space X website and social media page.

Viewers with images or videos of the launch are encouraged to share them with KEYT at the following link.

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Dave Alley

NIPOMO, Calif. – Hundreds of elementary school students from South San Luis Obispo County attended the annual Nipomo-area Elementary Career and College Fair Friday morning.

Over the course of three hours, students in grades from transitional kindergarten through sixth grade, took part in a career fair at Dorothea Lange Elementary School.

Held each year, the event rotates locations at all three Nipomo-area elementary schools, including Dana and Dorothea Lange.

More than three dozen local professionals from a wide spectrum of occupations were on hand, allowing the kids to speak face-to-face with the different speakers.

Some of the occupations on hand included an aerospace engineer, California Highway Patrol officer, CAL FIRE SLO County firefighters, Coast Hills Credit Union employees, recreation director, San Luis Obispo County Supervisor, dental employees, Cal Star Air medics, San Luis Ambulance paramedic and much more.

Longtime News Channel reporter Dave Alley, who also serves as the station community liaison, also spoke at the event, which he has done many years prior.

During the career day, students were given a list of questions to ask the speakers that related to their occupation.

A new feature this year included Nipomo High School students speaking to the younger students about different college options.

The high school schools researched information about a chosen university and offered the kids information about the school in front of a cardboard display.

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