EYEBRONCO: Bronco Volleyball Highlights from win over No. 18 Pepperdine

In what Bronco head coach Jon Wallace termed as "a total team effort", Santa Clara defeated No. 18 Pepperdine 3-1 on Saturday at the Leavey Center.  Set scores were 25-18, 25-22, 21-25 and 25-17.  It is Santa Clara's first volleyball win over a top 20 team since the Broncos defeated No. 13 Kansas State 3-2 in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Dec. 5, 2008.  

"It was a great win for us.  Our defeat against San Diego and the feeling we had in the lockerroom the weekend before helped us be a better team the next time out. We played much tougher," said Bronco head coach Jon Wallace.  "They believe, we believe. More than that, they were just determined to get a win and played like it."

Santa Clara is 12-5 and 2-1 in the West Coast Conference. Pepperdine is 10-6 and 1-3 in the WCC.

Santa Clara hit .241 with 52 kills (17 e, 145 att.).  They collected 58 digs, 49 assists, six service aces, nine service errors and 13.5 team blocks.  Pepperdine hit .137 with 50 kills (30 e, 146 att.) They collected 54 digs, 44 assists, four service aces, seven service errors and 8.0 team blocks.

Santa Clara was led by Megan Anders, who hit a sparkling .545 with 12 kills (0 e, 22 att.) and six block assists.  Taylor Milton had 10 kills, hitting .292.  Kayla Lommori scored 12 kills, five digs and six block assists.  Lexi Williamson had eight kills (2 e, 19 att.), hitting .316 with four digs, a block solo and a block assist.  Alyssa Anderson had 28 assists and 13 digs.  Chelsea Heier had 12 assists and two digs.  Katherine Douglas collected nine kills and 11 digs, also scoring three block assists, four aces and a block solo.  Katy Schatzman had 10 digs and five assists.

"Everybody contributed in some way. Megan was a constant threat and that opened up a lot for us. Taylor played at a high level. Kayla's jump serve sparked us offensively because it was good good," continued Wallace.  "Alyssa's serving run in game four was a great display of her talents. That was a great run of points. I am really proud of the women. They played the game plan well and they had enormous energy and believe they could win."

Pepperdine was led by Katie Messing's 17 kills and Jazmine Orozco had 11.  Micha Christiaansen had 12 digs and Taylor Racich added 10 along with Kellie Woolever. 

Santa Clara scored two of the next three points with a couple Pep errors after Douglas crushed a kill to tie it up 3-3.  A Pep error and a kill by Milton gave SCU a 5-4 lead.  After a kill by Katie Messing, Milton crushed it again and a team block by Douglas and Cameron made it 7-6 Broncos.  A kill by Douglas, an ace by Williamson and a team block by Cameron and Lommori made it 10-6.  A Pep kill and then an ace was followed by a hitting error by Jazmine Irozco.  Two kills by Anders were sandwiched between an ace by Douglas and the Broncos were up 14-9.  Timeout Pepperdine.  Pep scored a couple out of the timeout and Anders crushed it to the back to stop the run, 16-11 Broncos.  Milton knocked it off the block two out of the next three points to go up 18-12.  A Douglas kill and a team block by Cameron and Douglas made it 20-13.  Timeout Pepperdine.  The Waves scored four of the next five points to cut the Bronco lead to 21-17. Timeout Broncos. Cross court kills by Anders and Milton and an ace by Douglas stopped the run, 24-17 Broncos.  Lommori's kill was set point, 25-18 Broncos.  SCU hit .367 with 14 kills (3 e, 30 att.). Pep hit .086 with 11 kills (8 e, 35 att.).  Milton scored six kills and Anders four.  Orozco and Messing had four each for Pep.

Pepperdine took a 3-1 lead to start set two.  The teams traded service errors before Pep scored a couple team blocks, 6-2 Pep. Timeout Santa Clara.  A kill by Anders off the block stopped the run and another by Cameron pulled SCU within three, 7-4 Pep.  A Pep kill followed one by Douglas, 9-5 Pep.  Trading points, Cameron scored a kill before SCU was called in the net, 11-6 Pep.  Trading points again, a back row kill by Pep put the Waves up 12-7.  An error by Pep followed an ace by Lommori, 13-9 Pep.  Trading points again, Williamson's kill bounced off a Pep arm for a kill.  After Pep scored a couple, SCU whistled for time, down 17-10.  SCU scored four of the next five, including a block solo by Cameron, 18-14 Pep. Timeout Pepperdine.  A block solo by Doulgas made it 18-15.  An error by Victoria Adelhelm made it 19-16 Pep.  Anders and Milton teamed up for a block and an Anders kill  pulled SCU within one, 19-18 Pep.  Adelhelm's tip gave Pep the sideout.  Back-to-back kills by Lommori cross court tied it up 20-20.  Another Lommori kill, a tip in the front row on a bad Pep pass, gave SCU a 21-20 lead.  Timeout Pepperdine.  The Broncos were called in the net to give Pep the ball tied 21-21.  Lommori and Anders scored a team block, 22-22.  Pep smacked it way out, 23-22.  Messing smacked it into the pin for an error and an error by Mason. The Broncos were down seven points, 17-10 and 18-11, and came back to win set two 25-22.  SCU hit .222 with 12 kills (4 e, 36 att.).  Pep hit .200 with 15 kills (8 e, 35 att.). 

Tied 2-2, SCU was called in the net and Pep scored two straight before an Anders kill and a Pep hitting error tied it up 4-4.  A team block by Williamson and Anders and a hitting error by Pep made it 6-4.  Another team block by Milton and Anders made it 7-4 SCU.  Timeout Pepperdine.  A kill by Milton on the overpass made it 8-4 SCU.   Pep scored a couple quick kills, an ace by Adelhelm and another kill to tied it up 9-9.  Messing gave Pep its first lead in awhile, 10-9.  A kill by Williamson tied it up 10-10.  Pep scored a couple more to take a 12-10 lead.  Williamson's kill down the line stopped the run again.  Pep scored two of the next three, 14-11 Pep.  A Douglas kill stopped the run. Anders crushed it on the quick to pull within one.  A sideout by Pep and a kill pushed it to 16-13 Waves. Timeout Santa Clara.  Pep scored three straight, 19-13, and SCU whistled for time.  A couple more Pep points made it 21-13 before a service error stopped the six-point run. An ace by Douglas made it 21-15 Waves.  SCU scored a couple to make it 22-18 Waves.  Trading points, Williamson crushed it in the back row for a point, 23-19 Pep.  Pep won set three 25-21.  SCU hit .156 with 12 kills.  Pep hit .250 with 17 kills.

SCU went up 5-3 in set four.  The teams were tied up 5-5 on a couple of Pep kills.  SCU took a 7-6 lead on back-to-back Williamson kills.  Pep scored two quick ones on SCU errors, 8-7 Pep.  A block solo by Williamson tied it up 8-8.  Pep scored three straight before Wallace whistled for time, 11-8 Pep.  A Pep ace was followed by a blistering kill by Douglas, 12-9 Pep.  An error by Pep and a Bronco service error, 13-10 Pep.  SCU scored three of the next four to pull within one, 14-13 Pep. Timeout Waves.  Lommori's kill in the back court tied it up 14-14.  A team block by Anders and Douglas and a hitting error by Pep gave the Broncos a two-point nod, 16-14 SCU. Another team block by Lommori and Anders made it 17-14 Broncos.  A kill by Cameron on the overpass made it 18-14 Broncos. Timeout Waves.  Another team block, this time with Douglas, Anders and Lommori gave SCU a point, 19-14 Broncos.  A Bronco error stopped the run and a Lommori tip made it 20-15 Broncos.  Lommori crushed her 11^th kill of the day, 21-15 SCU.  Another Douglas ace, her fourth of the match, made it 22-15.  A Pepperdine team block gave the Waves the ball.  Lommori smacked to the back row for a kill, 23-16 SCU.  Anders crushed it the floor, 24-16 SCU.  Pep stopped the run with a tip, 24-17.  Williamson crushed it off the side of the head of Adelhelm for match point, 25-17 Broncos.