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WATCH | Volleyball Wins a 53-Second Point vs. Pacific
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Fresh off its second straight five-set match, a Thursday night victory over Pacific, Santa Clara volleyball begins the second half of West Coast Conference play Saturday at 1 p.m. against Saint Mary's in the Leavey Center. The Broncos are 7-1 at home this season and one match behind co-conference leaders BYU and San Diego with a 7-2 WCC mark.
In the previous meeting this season, the Broncos defeated the Gaels 26-24, 25-10, 25-19 Tuesday, Sept. 29 at McKeon Pavilion. Following a tightly-contested first set, Santa Clara won the final six points of sets two and three as part of the sweep. The Broncos picked up their second West Coast Conference win in their first WCC road match of the season.
SANTA CLARA (16-5, 7-2 WCC) vs. Saint Mary's (6-13, 1-8)
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015 • 1 p.m. PDT
Game #22 • Home Game #9 • Santa Clara, Calif.
Live Stats: santaclara.statbroadcast.com | Video: TheW.tv
Series: Santa Clara leads 48-22
Previous Meeting: Sept. 29, 2015 in Moraga — Santa Clara won 3-0
Last Season: Oct. 23, 2014 in Moraga— Santa Clara won 3-1
Nov. 25, 2014 in Santa Clara — Santa Clara won 3-0
THE BRONCOS
The Broncos outlasted the Tigers 25-19, 21-25, 25-7, 20-25, 15-6 Thursday night. Santa Clara hit .357 to record its best attack percentage in a conference match this season and Kirsten Mead tied a season-high effort with 51 assists. Four Broncos hit .381 or better in the back-and-forth bout as part of the team's seventh win in its last eight matches.
"I have a feeling that's going to be a typical type of match in WCC from here on out," head coach Jon Wallace said after the match. "I'm proud of our girls — how hard they fought and the adjustments they made to turn the tide in our favor."
Santa Clara has players ranked in the top three of four different major statistical categories in the WCC, the most of all conference teams (per set):
Aces — Sabrina Clayton 0.49/s (1st)
Assists — Kirsten Mead 11.00/s (2nd)
Digs — Danielle Rottman 4.99/s (1st)
Blocks — Jensen Cunningham 1.21/s (3rd)
The next closest team is Pacific, who has players ranked in the top three of three major statistical categories.
THE GAELS
Saint Mary's has one win in its last 12 matches, a 3-1 road victory over Pepperdine Oct. 1. They have lost five matches in a row, four of which were against teams ranked in the top half of the WCC. Santa Clara swept Saint Mary's in Moraga on Sept. 29. Rob Browning is in his 11th season as head coach of the Gaels.
Saint Mary's Category Leaders in the WCC's Top 10
Hitting Percentage — Alexis Salmons .306 (7th)
Assists — Mary Hernandez 9.75/s (6th)
Service Aces — Lindsey Knudsen 0.35/s (6th)
Digs — Madi Wilkerson 4.14/s (4th)
GO BRONCOS!
