Nov. 3, 2005
Santa Clara, Calif. - When Santa Clara head coach Jon Wallace signed Brittany Lowe to a letter-of-intent last November, he knew he was getting a special player to join his troops the following year. Despite entering the collegiate arena with a ranking of No. 75 according to PrepVolleyball.com, Lowe has fared quite well against her competition, especially this past October. The 11th-ranked Broncos have breezed through their schedule this past month, winning eight consecutive matches and dropping only four games in the process. And the Yorba Linda, Calif. native is a major reason SCU is enjoying a dream season, boasting an overall record of 20-1 and an undefeated 9-0 mark in the West Coast Conference. For her efforts, the WCC office announced today that Lowe was chosen as the conference Player of the Month for October.
"I feel amazing. I never thought I would get Player of the Week one time, let alone Player of the Month," said Lowe upon learning she had won the award. "I think our team is doing so amazing right now and everyone is playing so well. I feel so honored to get this award - I never thought I would get it."
In October, Lowe averaged 4.54 kills per game while hitting at a respectable .293 clip. Getting kills isn't the only strength in Lowe's repertoire - her great all-around game enabled her to tally five double doubles this past month and she notched 3.18 digs, 0.50 blocks, and 0.39 aces per game. In addition, the 6-0 outside hitter is a key component to the Broncos' passing rotation and her poise under pressure makes her a dependable player for her teammates to lean on during crunch time. Lowe has been handsomely rewarded thus far in her young career, as she has won three WCC Player of the Week awards (10/03, 10/24, & 10/31), the most among conference players this year.
With veteran players like Kim McGiven and Cassie Perret to show Lowe the ropes of the collegiate game, it is easy to understand how Lowe has flourished in only her first year of collegiate competition. Despite of her youth, the left-side attacker has been successful not only because of her natural abilities, but also because of the talent that surrounds Lowe out on the court.
"I am not surprised that she is playing well because she is a very good player. She's very aggressive and she brings a lot to the table, for sure," commented Wallace regarding his prized freshman. "She's also benefited from being on a team that has a lot of great players surrounding her. I think the consistency of the passing and setting as allowed Brittany to shine in a lot of ways."
Santa Clara continues its quest for an undefeated WCC season this weekend when it travels up to the Pacific Northwest to take on Portland and Gonzaga. Game times are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday against the Pilots and 8 p.m. on Saturday against the Bulldogs.
