Sept. 14, 2002
LINCOLN, Neb. - One night after suffering its first loss of the season, the 22nd-ranked Santa Clara University women's volleyball team rebounded and rallied for a come-from-behind victory over the University of Michigan by a score of 3-2 Saturday morning at the U.S. Bank/Arby's Classic in Lincoln, Neb.
The Broncos (7-1) dropped two of the first three games to its Big Ten opponent, but rallied to win game four by a decisive 30-21 count and game five by a 15-9 margin. The win evens the all-time series record with the Wolverines (4-2) at 1-1 and gives the Broncos some momentum heading into their final match of the tournament Saturday night against Alabama.
Middle Blocker Becky Potter continues to impress, posting 23 kills on a career-high 64 attempts in the Broncos first five-game match of the season. Freshmen Cassie Perret and Kim McGiven contributed greatly in the win with their 17 and 10 kills respectively, while outside hitter Megan Johnston added 11 kills and 13 digs.
Kelli Sousa finished the match with 64 assists and 10 digs, while Cindy Hirsch added 13 digs and Potter chipped in 11 for her fourth consecutive double-double. Senior co-captain Chrissy Hirsch anchored the stingy Bronco defense with her career-high 24 digs, limiting Michigan to a hitting percentage of only .071 in the final two games while the Broncos hit .205 and .304 respectively.
Jennifer Gandolph led the Wolverines in the match with 22 kills and 11 digs, while setter Lisa Gamalski picked up 56 assists and a team-high 18 digs.
Santa Clara will take on the University of Alabama in the final match of the tournament Saturday night, while Michigan will face fourth-ranked Nebraska just prior to the Broncos match with the Crimson Tide. Alabama has dropped its first two matches in the tournament and enters the match with a 6-3 record.