Oct. 31, 2005
San Bruno, Calif. - With the experience and court savvy of a veteran player, freshman Brittany Lowe continued her stellar first year campaign this past weekend, guiding No. 11 Santa Clara to two important victories over visiting West Coast Conference rivals Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. And for her efforts, the Yorba Linda, Calif. native was voted the West Coast Conference Co-Player of the Week along with Loyola Marymount's Heather Hughes. This Lowe's third weekly league honor, the most of any player in the league, and her performance as of late suggests that not only is she a serious candidate for the WCC Freshman of the Year, but perhaps also WCC Player of the Year.
In the two matches against the Southern California schools, the 6-0 outside hitter averaged 5.00 kills and 4.28 digs per game, while adding five blocks and one ace. On Friday night, Lowe faced the huge Pepperdine block, but still managed to put down a match-high 19 kills to go along with 11 digs. She also chipped in one ace and a block in the winning cause. The following night, Lowe faced another strong team in Loyola Marymount and she was instrumental in the four-game victory, recording her ninth double double of the season with 16 kills and 19 digs. The precocious freshman also put up a solid wall up at the net, notching four blocks.
"I'm really happy for Brittany Lowe in receiving her third Player of the Week award. She had a great weekend in helping the team win our matches, which was our goal," said Santa Clara head coach Jon Wallace. "She approaches every game the same - she plays hard and is aggressive. I'm glad to see that it is paying off."
Currently, the Broncos are riding on a 13-match winning streak, just one victory shy of the school record of 14 consecutive wins, set by the 1993 squad. After the weekend sweep, Santa Clara boasts an overall record of 20-1 and an unblemished mark of 9-0 in the WCC. SCU has not lost a match since September 17 and has since only dropped a total of five games during their winning streak.
Action continues for Santa Clara this weekend when they travel to the Pacific Northwest. On Friday, November 4, the team faces Portland at 7 p.m. and on Saturday, November 5, Gonzaga awaits Santa Clara for an 8 p.m. face-off.
