Nov. 29, 2000
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This Week The 17th-ranked Santa Clara volleyball team (26-4) will host the first and second rounds of the 2000 NCAA Championships, marking the third straight postseason appearance for the Bronco program. State schools from Long Beach, San Jose and Sacramento will travel to the Bronco sub-regional. A win in the first round would give the Broncos a school record for most wins in a season.
NCAA First and Second Rounds In the first round, San Jose State and Long Beach State will play on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 5 p.m., while Sacramento State and the Broncos will play after the conclusion of the first match, approximately 7 p.m. On Friday, Dec. 1, the winners of both Thursday contests will face each other at 7 p.m. Due to reconstruction of SCU's Leavey Event Center, all three matches will take place at San Jose State University's Event Center.
NCAA Ticket Information Tickets are available at Santa Clara's Athletic Department or at the San Jose State University Event Center. Box office hours at both facilities are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please call 408-924-6333 to order tickets. Tickets will also be available day of game.
Santa Clara will be offering a three-match package in addition to single-day tickets. For all three matches, adults are $10, students and seniors are $6 and youths are $4. For those interested in single-day tickets, adults are $7, while students, seniors and youths are $5. All seats are general admission.
The NCAA Championships The Broncos earned one of 31 automatic bids to the national championship tournament by winning the West Coast Conference title. Santa Clara, 1-4 all-time in the NCAA Championships, will be making the program's fifth overall appearance in the postseason and third straight. The Broncos advanced to the second round in 1999 before falling to finalist Stanford in four games.
Of the 64 teams selected, 12 are from the West Coast with Santa Clara, Stanford and San Jose State as the three Bay Area teams selected. Additionally, West Coast Conference opponents Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount were placed in the draw. The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and placed within four regions. The squads tabbed as the top seeds in each region were undefeated Nebraska in the Central, USC in the Pacific, Wisconsin in the Mideast, and Hawaii in the West. Santa Clara has faced 11 of the 64 teams selected by the NCAA and went 9-4 in those matches, outscoring the opposition 30 games to 21.
Advancing Through the Championship The winner of this weekend's sub-regional will advance to the regional final to face one of four teams, with date, location and time to be determined: Hawaii (27-1), Davidson (24-11), Texas Tech (24-8) or Utah (22-7). The semifinals and Championship matches will be contested at Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, Va., Thursday and Saturday, Dec. 14 and 16.
The Opponents Sacramento State is 21-11 on the season and earned an automatic bid after winning the Big Sky Conference for its fourth straight NCAA appearance. The Hornets hosted SCU earlier in the season, falling to the Broncos in four games. In the sub-regional's other match is Long Beach State and San Jose State. The 49ers, 22-7 this season, have reached the last three Final Fours and boast three NCAA titles, last winning it all in 1998. The Beach also closed out the regular season with seven straight wins, including an upset of previously undefeated Hawaii in four games. Additionally, LBSU is 31-11 all time in the NCAA postseason and has not lost a first round match since 1987. San Jose State, 22-9 on the season, is making its fifth appearance in the NCAAs. The Spartans have the unique advantage of playing on their own court as the visiting team in this SCU sub-regional.
