Nov. 21, 2001
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This Week
Santa Clara will close the regular season the day after Thanksgiving, host Idaho (10-18) on Friday, November 23. The match will begin at 7 p.m. at the Leavey Center and thank its fans with giveaways throughout the appreciation night. The Broncos will then hope for an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. The brackets will be announced Monday, November 26.
Live on the Internet
Santa Clara's final match of the regular season against Idaho can be followed online with a live statistical tracker at the department's official athletic website, www.SantaClaraBroncos.com. By logging on, fans can receive real-time updated statistics direct from the official scoring computer. The feature was introduced this season and was enjoyed for the team's entire home schedule.
Broncos Finish Second in WCC Race
Although Pepperdine clinched the conference title two weeks before the season ended, the race for second place was on through the final serve. Despite being picked by league coaches to finish third in the league with San Diego, Santa Clara followed its 2000 league title with a second-place showing this season, finishing ahead of LMU and USD in the final standings with an 11-3 record. It marks the fourth straight year the Broncos have finished in the top three in the WCC.
Up Next: NCAA Tournament Selection Show
On Monday, November 26, the NCAA will announce which 64 teams will make it to the 2001 Tournament. Santa Clara will be hoping for an at-large bid. Four teams will be selected to 16 sites with the first and second rounds being played on November 29 through December 2. Regional semifinals and finals will be held December 6-9. The 2001 Final Four will be held December 13 and 15 at Cox Arena and Aztec Bowl, hosted by San Diego State University.
Last Time Out: Broncos Place Second with USF Sweep
Santa Clara wrapped-up its WCC schedule with a sweep over San Francisco by scores of 30-24, 30-16 and 30-28 Saturday night at War Memorial Gym. Toni Muratore led three Broncos in double-digit kills with 14 on 24 attacks. Jami Bari added 12 kills and a match-high 15 digs while Megan Johnston contributed 10 kills on 21 attacks. As a team, Santa Clara hit .271 with 53 digs, 56 assists and 10 block assists to dominate San Francisco. The Dons hit only .143 and had only 31 assists but did play big at the net, racking up 21 total blocks. With the win, Santa Clara assured itself of a second place finish in the league.
Head Coach Jon Wallace
After leading his team to the program's best season record (27-5), highest national ranking (No. 14) and the second round of the NCAA Tournament, second-year head coach Jon Wallace (UC Santa Barbara '89) was named the WCC's 2000 Coach of the Year. Now in his third season, he has a career mark of 67-24 (.736). On Oct. 7, 2000, Wallace earned his 35th career win against USF, becoming the fastest coach in WCC history to reach that plateau. In 1999, Wallace led his team to its best record in six seasons and its first trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Prior to Santa Clara, he spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Pepperdine. A three-year starting setter at UC Santa Barbara, Wallace directed the Gauchos to the NCAA Tournament title match in 1988.