SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara volleyball will face 2015 postseason opposition frequently in 2016, with one third of its matches against teams from last year's NCAA Tournament field. The Broncos released their indoor slate Wednesday, announced by head coach Jon Wallace.
Santa Clara — coming off its 16th NCAA Tournament bid and third in the last four years — begins the year against UC Irvine Aug. 26 as part of a tournament hosted by USC. The Broncos play their next three matches against 2015 NCAA Tournament teams: last year's top-seeded Women of Troy and Marquette Aug. 27 in Los Angeles, followed by Louisville Sept. 2 in Kentucky.
The team's nonconference schedule features four invitationals in four weekends. After opening weekend in Southern California, the Bronco schedule is as follows:
Active Ankle Challenge: Louisville Sept. 2 | Auburn, Stony Brook Sept. 3
Cal Classic: Grand Canyon Sept. 9 | West Virginia, Cal Sept. 10
Boise State Tournament: Arizona State, Boise State Sept. 16 | UC Davis Sept. 17
"I really like our pre-conference matches for next fall," Wallace said. "They will provide great tests to see where we are nationally as well as a good opportunity for our team to prepare for a tough WCC."
The Broncos play their first two West Coast Conference matches against BYU (Sept. 22) and San Diego (Sept. 24) on the road. The Cougars and Toreros finished first and second, respectively, in the conference last year. They made the postseason alongside the Broncos and Loyola Marymount Lions from a conference that boasted the fourth-best RPI in the nation.
"Our conference matches will be very competitive top to bottom," Wallace said. "The WCC looks even stronger than last year."
Santa Clara's home opener is Sept. 27 against Pacific after 14 games away from the Leavey Center. The Broncos have six of their last eight games at home, including three straight to end the regular season. They face a tough stretch against the conference's top three teams from 2015 — LMU Nov. 12 (away), San Diego Nov. 17 (home) and BYU Nov. 19 (home) — prior to the Nov. 22 regular season finale against Saint Mary's. In total, the Broncos play nine times at home, 13 times on the road and eight times on a neutral court.
In 2015, the Broncos went 22-9 to finish with the fourth-best winning percentage (.710) for a single season in program history and best since 2006. Santa Clara tied single-season records with 11 home wins and 13 conference wins.
"The girls have worked extremely hard in the spring to improve on a daily basis and are looking forward to the upcoming season," Wallace said. "We will have six out of eight starters returning and are looking forward to six new student-athletes joining us in August."
Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Volleyball: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Go Broncos!
