Aug. 30, 2002
IRVINE, Calif. - The 24th-ranked Santa Clara University volleyball team cruised to an easy 3-0 victory over James Madison Friday evening in the first game of the UC Irvine/Marriott Sunset Showcase. The Broncos posted game scores of 30-19, 30-25 and 30-15 to earn a season-opening win for the third year in a row.
After falling to the Broncos in game one, JMU came out strong in the second game, holding a lead the first half of the game. However, Santa Clara caught JMU at 18 points apiece, led by Kim McGiven who had a team-high seven kills that game.
James Madison capitalized on SCU miscues to take a 25-22 advantage, but Bronco blocks coupled with ball handling errors by the Dukes gave Santa Clara the win.
In game three, Santa Clara jumped to a 6-0 lead and never looked back, cruising to a straight-set victory behind Becky Potter's 11 kills. Kim McGiven added nine, while Cindy Hirsch had a match-high 11 digs. Setter Kelli Sousa tallied 35 set assists in the win.
James Madison was led by Larissa Winkler's eight kills, while teammate Dana Jones added seven kills and eight digs. Setter Krysta Cannon finished the night with 21 set assists.
The Broncos will play their second match of the tournament Saturday morning at 11 a.m. when they take on the University of New Orleans. The Broncos will conclude their play in the tournament with a 7:30 p.m. start against the host, UC Irvine.