Nov. 8, 2002
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The 11th-ranked Santa Clara University volleyball team started a little slow but hit its stride in game two Friday night against Portland, posting a .667 team hitting percentage in that game, leading to an eventual sweep of the Pilots in the Leavey Center.
The Broncos (21-3, 9-1 WCC) came out of the gates somewhat slow as game one went back-and-forth with the Pilots (14-11, 3-7 WCC), with each team leading several times in the game, but neither by more than two points. Portland grabbed a 28-27 lead when the Broncos' Alyssa Lantz hit into the net, but could score no more as Santa Clara rattled off three-straight points to claim game one by a score of 30-28.
Game two was a completely different story as the Broncos raced out to an early 13-4 lead and never looked back, cruising to a lopsided 30-11 win. As a team Santa Clara posted a phenomenal hitting percentage of .667 in the game, posting 18 kills on 27 attacks with no errors. On the other side the Pilots struggled in game two, posting only five kills on 39 attempts with eight errors for a team hitting percentage of -.100.
Game three was heading the direction of game two as Santa Clara jumped out to an early 8-4 lead, but Portland clawed back and took a brief 10-9 lead after a kill by Monique Kettler. From there the Broncos scored 13 of the next 16 points and finished the sweep with a final score in game three of 30-23.
Becky Potter led the way for Santa Clara offensively, posting a match-high 18 kills and a hitting percentage of .412. Cassie Perret registered 11 kills of her own while Kelli Sousa had 37 assists and a team-high nine digs to go along with her three kills.
Sara Vercruyssen posted a team-high 14 kills for the Pilots while Carlie Price led the way defensively with her nine digs. Sheena Surplus posted 27 assists, two kills and five digs in the loss.
Santa Clara returns to action Saturday night against Gonzaga, marking the final West Coast Conference home match of the season for the Broncos. Saturday night will also be special for Santa Clara as they honor their three outgoing seniors on Senior Night. Amy Grabill and twin co-captains Chrissy Hirsch and Cindy Hirsch will each be honored just prior to the first serve against the Bulldogs.