Thousand Oaks Ambushed by Santa Barbara : Girls’ volleyball playoffs: Fourth-ranked Dons combine strong defense and effective serving to post four-game win.

Santa Barbara High handed down a verdict for the defense Tuesday night against host Thousand Oaks, winning a 15-6, 15-8, 11-15, 15-5 decision in a girls’ Southern Section Division I volleyball quarterfinal.

The fourth-ranked Dons (22-4) came through with 79 digs, their second-best defensive performance of the season, and complemented it with tough serving to advance to the semifinals for the third time in five years.

“For a Division I team, we’re not real big,” Santa Barbara Coach Bob Moore said. “If you’re not big, a lot of what you do you has to do with defense.”

Defense usually is the forte of fifth-ranked Thousand Oaks as well. But the Lancers (20-5) could not get untracked on offense or defense until they had fallen behind by two games.

“When you get to a quarterfinal, whichever team dictates the tempo is the one that is going to win,” Thousand Oaks Coach Ron Beick said. “And in three of the four games, Santa Barbara dictated the tempo.”

Dena Donnellton set the tempo in the first game, using a devastating jump serve to turn a 5-3 advantage into a 13-3 lead. Four of those points came on aces that pierced four zones of the court. Donnellton also finished as the Dons’ digs leader with 21.

“She hasn’t really gotten into her rhythm with the jump serve (all season) until tonight,” Moore said. “It was a good time for her to get it going.”

With a big lead, Santa Barbara closed out the first game on a kill by Heather Wayne (13 kills total) and a setting error by Gretchen Gulbranson.

It took longer for the Dons to exert control in the second game as Thousand Oaks built a 7-6 lead behind the blocking and hitting of twins Carolyn and Janette Penfield.

But back-to-back kills by Donnellton put Santa Barbara on top and the Dons gradually pulled away to win on an ace by Linnea Mendoza.

Thousand Oaks looked primed for one of its patented back-from-the-grave victories behind the play of former Santa Barbara standout Tricia Tuley in the third game.

Tuley, who led the Lancers with 10 kills and 12 digs, gave her team an 8-4 lead with three kills in a four-point sequence and later added a four-point service run to make it 13-4.

Santa Barbara closed within 13-11 before Tuley earned a sideout with a spike down the line and Janette Penfield finished off the game with two kills in the middle.

But the Dons wasted little time in regaining control in the fourth game, rolling to a 7-1 lead and eventually ending the Lancers’ season on two more kills by Donnellton.