Nov. 1, 2007

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Bronco volleyball team returns to the Leavey Center to close out the home schedule against the Dons of San Francisco and the No. 15 Toreros of San Diego. Santa Clara and USF go head-to-head on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m., and SCU and USD face off on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. for Senior Day.

Last Week for the Broncos
Santa Clara went 2-0 last week and pushed its winning streak to five matches with back-to-back sweeps of Gonzaga and Portland. On Oct. 25, the Broncos defeated the Bulldogs, 3-0 (32-30, 30-23, 30-26), in Spokane, Wash. Krista Kelley once again registred a match-high 26 kills and Brittany Lowe tallied 32 kills and a team-best .421 hitting percentage (21-5-38). Senior setter Crystal Matich dished out 53 assists and a match-high three service aces, while Caroline Walters recorded 11 digs.

Against Portland, Kelley posted a match-high 16 kills and collected 12 digs, while Matich also recorded 12 digs and dished out 43 assists. Lowe added 13 kills to the Broncos victory, while sophomore Lindsy Evans chipped in with 11 kills and handed out a match-best four service aces.

For the season, junior Lowe is first on the squad with 330 kills, while Kelley owns a team-best 4.29 kills per game average. Matich has compiled a .345 hitting percentage (98-28-203), which is good for first on the team. She also averages a Bronco best 13.35 assists per game. Sophomores Evans leads the team iin aces and total blocks with 30 and 51, respectively. Rounding out the team leaders is senior libero Caroline Walters. She averages a team-best 4.62 digs per game.

Follow The Broncos Online
Every Santa Clara home game and most road games are covered live on the Internet via www.SantaClaraBroncos.com. All home games will also feature a live video broadcast as well.

26 To Go
Libero Caroline Walters has been chasing the school record for career digs from the beginning of the season and is now just 26 digs shy of setting a new program record. The current record of 1,860 was set by Lia Young (1990-93). With five matches to complete the feat, Walters would have to collect at least five digs in each of those contests.

Walters began the season with 1,456 career digs, which were just 405 behind the current school record. Walters has recorded double-digit digs in all but two matches this season and posted a season-high of 23 against Notre Dame on Sept. 16.

Over the course of her three seasons at Santa Clara, Walters has compiled a career total of 1,819 digs and earned two All-WCC honors. Be sure to continue to check www.SantaClaraBroncos.com for updates as Walters closes in on making school history.

Santa Clara In The WCC
After last weeks triumphs, the Broncos claim sole possession of first place in the league. SCU is also ranked first in assists, kills and service aces.

Individually, Lauryn Dowd moves up to the No. 13 spot in hitting percentage, while Krista Kelly moves up to No. 3 in kills per game. Brittany Lowe ranks sixth in that category and Lindsy Evans rounds out the top 10 in kills per game. Evans is also ranked sixth in aces per game. Crystal Matich continues her first place dominance in assists per game, while Caroline Walters checks in at No. four in digs per game.

In WCC matches only, Santa Clara leads the pack in kills, assists and service aces, and is second in hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage. Individually, Dowd holds on to her fourth place ranking in hitting percentage. In kills, Lowe climbs to second overall and Kelly moves to fourth. Matich leads the WCC in assists, while Evans and Dowd are ranked No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in aces per game. Matich continues to claim the No. 7 spot in aces per game, while in digs per game, Walters claims the No. 6 spot this week. Broncos on the National Stage Santa Clara continues to move up in the national rankings this week. The Broncos are now No. 9 in assists per game and No. 14 in kills per game. SCU is also, No. 68 in aces per game, No. 90 in hitting percentage and No. 91 in match win-loss percentage.

Individually, Crystal Matich climbed to No. 12 in assists per game and Brittany Lowe is ranked No. 119 in kills per game.

Bronco Blogging
All year long, Bronco fans can receive an inside look at the volleyball team by checking in with Caroline Walters' blog on SantaClaraBroncos.com.

Walters will be posting a new entry each week to let fans know what is going on with the team and its players both on and off the field.

To read Walter's blog along with other Bronco sports blogs, click on the link on the right side of the SantaClaraBroncos.com homepage.

Scouting San Francisco
The Dons enter the week after posting one of their most remarkable victories, a 3-0 sweep of the then-No. 12 Toreros.

Freshman WCC Player of the Week Sarah Mandala leads San Francisco with 3.35 kills per game. Meanwhile, Haley Carrol is first on the team in aces and digs with 32 and 382, respectively. In blocks, Carly Babin has posted an impressive 1.23 per game (19 solo, 83 assists) and ranks fifth in the conference in that caregory.

When Santa Clara and USF met earlier this season, the Dons earned their first win over the Broncos since 1989 with a 3-0 victory at the War Memorial Gym.

Scouting San Diego
After their loss to USF, the Toreros dropped to No. 15 in the AVCA rankings this week.

The Toreros are led at the net by Amy DeGroot, who averages 4.11 kills per game. DeGroot also owns a team best 25 service aces. Laurel Abrahamson is second on the squad with 3.92 kills per game. Abrahamson also leads the squad with a .349 hitting percentage and 90 total blocks.

San Diego and Santa Clara last met on Oct. 4, when the Broncos topped the Toreros, 3-1, in a nationally televised match at the Jenny Craig Pavillion.

On Deck
The Broncos face rival Saint Mary's on Friday, Oct. 9. First serve is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Moraga, Calif.