Sept. 22, 2001
HONOLULU - Competing for the first time in 12 days, the 20th-ranked Santa Clara University volleyball team fell to No. 12 Hawaii in four games tonight in front of 4,591 fans at the Stan Sheriff Center. Game scores were 30-25, 28-30, 30-19, 30-25.
The Broncos' last weekend of non-conference play marked the first contest for the team since Sept. 9, as four games were cancelled last week due to recent national events. Santa Clara falls to 7-2 on the season while Hawaii, with its first win over a ranked opponent this season, improves to 5-4.
After falling in the first frame, Santa Clara took its first lead of the match at 6-5 in game two. The Wahine regained the lead and surged ahead, but the Broncos were able to tie the game again at 22. After a few unforced errors, the SCU fell behind by three, but again, was able to tie the match at 27. A block by the Broncos' two Beckys--Potter and Biniek--put the score at 28-27 in favor of SCU. Hawaii then registered an unassisted kill, but sophomore outside hitter Jessie Mechem countered with her 10th kill of the night to give the Broncos game point. A late net call on the Wahine evened the match heading into intermission.
Hawaii took an early lead in the third set, with back-to-back services aces putting the Wahine up 13-6. Defensive plays kept the Broncos in the frame and allowed SCU to rally to 15-12 on a block by Mechem and freshman Toni Muratore, but Hawaii battled again to a five-point edge at 20-15, and expanded its lead for a 30-19 game victory.
Two service aces by Potter gave the Broncos a 3-1 lead early in the fourth frame, but unforced errors gave Hawaii a 6-4 lead that it maintained through 16-14. A service error brought the Broncos within one, but unforced errors aided Hawaii's scoring and carried the Wahine's advantage through the rest of the night.
Mechem finished with 16 kills, while Muratore (13), Potter (12) and senior Jami Bari (11) also reached double figures.
Sophomore Kim Willoughby led Hawaii with a career-high 35 kills, while Maja Gustin also added a career-high 23 kills.
The Broncos remain in Honolulu for a rematch against Hawaii Saturday night. The contest will begin at 10 p.m. Pacific Time and can be heard live online by Clicking Here.