WATCH | EYEBRONCO: Volleyball Seniors 2014 — Taylor Milton, Katy Schatzman, Chloe Sliger (Produced by Assistant Coach Matt Lyles)
On the final day of action in 2013, the Santa Clara volleyball team, up 2-0 vs. Pepperdine, was primed to end the year on a high note. But that momentum was cut short. Santa Clara would go on to fall in five sets, finish the season with 11 wins and head into the offseason with the bitter feeling of defeat resonating inside each competitor. Something needed to change.
That it did! Complemented by an overhaul of team culture and team philosophy, the Broncos rebounded from a disappointing 2013 campaign to surprise both the WCC and the country with their performance this season. Posting a 22-10 record and finishing third in the highly-competitive West Coast Conference, Santa Clara found itself back in the NCAA tournament, a reward much deserved for a team that put in the work early and often throughout the past year. It was the school's 15th bid and the 12th under head coach Jon Wallace.
"Going back to last January, we wanted to set our goals extremely high and use our past successes as motivation to get our program back to playing at the highest level," said Wallace. "We also knew we had a very talented group that if trained well and challenged correctly, we would have a great shot at accomplishing our goals."
The Broncos first shot at redemption in 2014 presented itself 2,500 plus miles away in Long Island, N.Y. Far away from the comforts of home, the Broncos served up the season with a bang. Over the course of a 10-day road trip, Santa Clara roared out to a blistering 6-1 start, including three victories in shutout fashion.
But it wasn't necessarily the wins that were bringing the squad together and reinstalling a winning culture in the Broncos' locker room. Mid-way through the East Coast road swing, the team visited the United States Military Academy at West Point. The visit resonated with every Santa Clara visitor.
"It really brought the group together," said Wallace. "Seeing how the cadets at Army go about their lives inspired our girls, motivated them and gave them the belief that they could do more. It really hammered home the things we had been working on since January."
A motivated squad and a collective team belief in success propelled the team to continuing success. Returning home to the Leavey Center for their first home matches of the season, Santa Clara downed Pennsylvania and stunned the No. 20 Blue Devils of Duke University in three sets the following day.
But the primary playing squad made up of three freshmen, two sophomores, a junior and a senior would experience growing pains along the way. Travelling to the City by the Bay to open up conference play, Santa Clara, a team picked to finish ninth in the conference, fell in a hole early.
"As a young team we had to learn how to be tough and what being tough meant while playing volleyball," said Wallace. "In our first WCC match, we lost 3-0 at USF. We kind of let them beat us. (USF) played well that night but we did not have fight, we did not play with grit."
Despite the defeat, the Broncos would get up, dust themselves off and continue fighting. They started with a 3-0 sweep of Pacific. During the course of conference play, Santa Clara took down then-No. 24 San Diego and then-No. 24 LMU on their home floors. The Broncos also rose to shutout the league's champion, then-No. 11 BYU, a Final Four squad this postseason, at the Leavey Center in late October.
The Broncos then travelled to the Northwest and won a 3-2 thriller at Gonzaga and played one of their best matches of the season in defeating Portland 3-0. Losing a couple matches at home to Pepperdine and LMU late in the season, Santa Clara would regain its composure once again, paying back USF with a shutout and downing the Gaels from Saint Mary's 3-0 in the final two matches of the year. They swept the season series vs. their arch-rival Saint Mary's.
All told, the Broncos had six top 50 wins during the season, including four top 25 wins. With their resume set, it was up to the NCAA selection committee to decide Santa Clara's postseason fate. Loud cheers from the Broncos confirmed Santa Clara was in the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years. Travelling to Eugene, Ore., the Broncos faced the 10th-seeded Oregon Ducks on their home court. Santa Clara lost in three sets, but Wallace believes the experience will catapult the team to new heights in the future.
Looking forward, the future remains bright for the young Santa Clara squad. And when future adversity hits, the Broncos will be ready to face the challenge head on. "Next year, being put into that situation where we are in must-win matches, I know we will respond with more maturity," said Wallace. "The team grew a great deal the last 12 months and I am proud of where this program is headed."
A number of accolades poured in for Santa Clara, both on and off the court. Sophomore Nikki Hess was named a WCC First-Team member. She is the 30th Bronco under Wallace to be honored on the WCC First Team. Hess led the team with 3.68 kpg, good enough for third in the WCC. She collected double figure kills in 22 matches this season, including a career-high 22 kills twice. She also had nine double-doubles (kills, digs). She was named to the WCC All-Freshman team last season.
Freshman Kirsten Mead was named the WCC Freshman of the Year. Mead joins Becky Potter (2000), Annalisa Muratore (2004), Brittany Lowe (2005) and Krista Kelley (2007) as Santa Clara's past Freshman of the Year. Mead also joined freshmen Natasha Calkins and Kaity Edwards on the WCC All-Freshman team.
The All-WCC Honorable Mention team also included Mead, senior Taylor Milton, junior Danielle Rottman and sophomore Sabrina Clayton. Milton was a three-time All-WCC Honorable Mention honoree during her career; Clayton was named to the 2013 All-WCC Freshman team and Rottman led the WCC in digs this season.
"This conference is historically loaded with talent and for so many of our girls to be recognized this season was special," said Wallace. "Especially those girls that are all underclassmen and will be returning; getting a taste of that success will really help them going forward."
In the classroom, the Broncos hit the books hard. Sophomore GiGi Cresto made the All-Academic First Team. Senior Katy Schatzman alongside sophomores Madison Dutra and Mary Shepherd made Honorable Mention.
Wallace spoke highly about the senior leaders on this season's squad. Milton, Schatzman and Chloe Sliger helped turn around the team. "They led this team starting back in January with hard work in the weight room, with commitment to new standards and a new way of communicating," said Wallace. "I commend them for their commitment and their dedication."
Now, new leaders are in place and the squad will hit the court to build upon the Broncos' past traditions and the 2014 campaign to keep the momentum going.
"Our program is in a great position to take off, to accomplish new goals, new and higher goals," said Wallace. "Our girls are extremely motivated and happy with their progress."
