Look for a preview of the Harvard Invitational on Thursday
Follow the team on the Santa Clara Blog: Red, White and Bronco
After posting a 4-0 record in the state of New York to start the season, the Santa Clara volleyball team moved up the East Coast further on Wednesday, pitching their camp in Boston, Mass. They will spend time practicing the next two days, while squeezing in some sightseeing in anticipation of playing at the Harvard Invitational this weekend in Cambridge, Mass.
The Broncos have won three matches 3-0 this year – vs. St. Francis Brooklyn, vs. Lafayette and at Army; and one match 3-1 at Hofstra. Bronco head coach Jon Wallace likes what he sees on and off the court and talked to SantaClaraBroncos.com this morning on the drive up to Boston.
SCU: First, talk about your time at West Point Academy. Your team picked up a nice win at Army. The Cadets had a top 30 PrepVolleyball recruiting class this season, as well as a number of returning starters.
JW: Army did a real nice job running their offense. When they passed well, they ran a talented offense. We served very tough and that got them in a lot of trouble. We were able to defend very well when we served tough as well.
SCU: The team was given a behind-the-scenes tour of West Point by Captain Austin Welch. This was a really special treat for your team.
JW: We are going to work to build on that feeling. On this trip, we are spending a lot of time together. We are trying to do fun things that everyone enjoys and continue to communicate. We have to work through daily life on the road, but it bonds the team more. West Point really was an amazing place for us to be for a couple of days. The core principles of West Point: commitment, duty, honor, service – it was special to see everyone living it every day at Army. This group will hang on to that for a long time and it will help the group as we move forward and continue to mature.
SCU: Speaking of moving forward, the team is now headed to Boston. What are the plans for the team the next couple of days?
JW: Wednesday we are going to tour downtown Boston. Do Freedom Trail. See Fenway Park. We are also going to eat dinner downtown. We have practice Wednesday night and then Thursday morning. We rest some and hang out at the Commons on Thursday afternoon. We will have a team dinner with Harvard and another team from the tournament on the Harvard campus on Thursday evening.
SCU: Were you surprised at the impact playing and practicing at West Point had on your team?
JW: Not really. This team is really mature and they want to experience life together. They want to do things, see sites and go different places. They are eager to travel. We are all excited to see Boston, to be able to sightsee in another big city. This preseason already we have seen San Francisco and New York City, so adding Boston to that list will be special.
SCU: On the court, you are also working hard in practice besides playing in four matches over a five-day span.
JW: Monday we had one of our best and hardest practices of the year. We need to continue to play and defend against speed. This is something we will see in every match, especially as the schedule gets tougher. We have to get in the gym and practice really hard Wednesday night and Thursday morning. We hope by putting the extra effort in during each practice, we will be ready for any competition we are going to face.
SCU: What will you work on the next couple of days? The Broncos didn't have a single block at Army, so will you address the blocking issues?
JW: Yes, first and foremost, we will address some of our blocking issues. We are going to put in some wrinkles and allow the team to do some different things. We are going to work to get comfortable with our blocking. We haven't been scheming in our blocking yet, we are just playing straight up basic defense, which might be limiting our blocks.
On the bright side, our offense is being run very well. Our speed and athleticism has gotten the opponents in a lot of trouble. Our offense starts with our crisp passing. Our passing has been significantly better than in the years past. We are happy with what the girls are doing in serve- receive. We are giving our hitters better opportunities by passing the ball more effectively.
