Oct. 20, 2000
MALIBU, Calif. - In a battle of undefeated West Coast Conference teams, No. 9 Pepperdine came out on top, defeating 15th-ranked Santa Clara in a five-game thriller tonight at the Firestone Fieldhouse.
The loss ended the Broncos' 12-match win streak, two short of the program's best, set in 1993. The 13-15, 11-15, 17-15, 15-8, 15-7 loss drops Santa Clara's record to 17-2 on the season, 5-1 in the WCC. The Waves improve to 17-3 overall, 6-0 in league action. Pepperdine leads the all-time series 25-12. Tonight also marked the third straight five-game meeting between the teams.
Pepperdine has now won 25 straight conference matches, not dropping a contest since SCU topped the Waves on Halloween night in 1998. Additionally, Pepperdine hasn't lost a home league match since 1997 and is undefeated at home in the last 13 matches, the fifth-longest active streak in the NCAA.
The match was a return to familiar territory for Bronco head coach Jon Wallace, as he was a Pepperdine assistant for seven years before joining Santa Clara's program last year.
Senior outside hitter Ynez Carrasco led all attackers with 29 kills on the night. Senior middle blocker Amy Kohl added 23, with three other Broncos reaching double figures. Pepperdine was led by Jennifer Fopma's 20 kills, while five others reached double digits.
Defensively for the Broncos, sophomore Chrissy Hirsch dug 19 balls and three others reached double figures.
The Broncos remain in Los Angeles and will play No. 23 Loyola Marymount on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m.
-- www.SantaClaraBroncos.com --
No. 9 Pepperdine def. No. 15 Santa Clara 13-15, 11-15, 17-15, 15-8, 15-7
