SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara volleyball continues West Coast Conference play this week as it hosts Loyola Marymount Thursday at 7 p.m. and Pepperdine Saturday at 1 p.m. in Leavey Center. The Broncos have won their last two conference matches, a five-set victory over Portland Oct. 27 followed by a sweep of San Francisco on Friday.
The Broncos played 17 of their first 18 matches away from home to start the season, including 14 in a row. As the regular season wraps up, they'll have five of their next seven and eight of their final 12 tilts at home.RMATION
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THE BRONCOS
Santa Clara put up some of its best team numbers of the year in a 25-18, 25-17, 25-16 sweep against San Francisco. Callie Jones set the team to a .320 hitting percentage (second-highest this season) and the Broncos committed only 11 attack errors (second-lowest). The Broncos' match against the Dons was their only contest in 11 days leading up to this Thursday's clash against LMU.
Jones has started the last 12 matches at setter in place of the injured Kirsten Mead. The Phoenix native has totaled 448 assists for a 9.74 assist/set average since entering the starting lineup. Jones also had a strong performance against Portland, turning in a career-high 56 assists to help the Broncos secure their first conference win of the season. Her 9.53 assists/set on the season are good for third in the WCC.
Taylor Laugero ranks second in the WCC with 4.47 digs/set. She has posted double-digit digs in 16 of 18 matches this season and topped the 20-dig mark six times. She ranked fifth in the NCAA in digs/set after the first weekend of the season and third after the second weekend. Her 32 digs Sept. 3 against Auburn tied for fourth-most in single-match program history during the rally scoring era.
Nikki Hess has double-digit kills in four straight matches, including a season-high 22 against Pacific Sept. 27. Taylor Odom had a career-high 12 kills against the Pilots and hit .700 with seven kills against the Dons. Sabrina Clayton has double-digit kills in her last seven matches and has tallied 3+ aces four times on the year. Jensen Cunningham led the Bronco front line with a career-high three block solos against USF and her 65 blocks are co-best on the Broncos along with Hailey Lindberg.
Mead, a 2015 AVCA All-Pacific North Region and First Team All-WCC selection, suffered an ankle injury in practice prior to the Cal Classic Sept. 9-10, which the Broncos won by defeating Grand Canyon, West Virginia and Cal. Mead averaged 11.3 assists/set (249 total) and 2.55 digs/set (56 total) alongside three double-doubles in six matches. The Broncos hit .259 and went 6-0 with Mead in the lineup; they have hit .215 and gone 5-7 without Mead.
As a team, the Broncos have held three of their last four opponents to less than a .200 hitting percentage (Pacific .194, Portland .181, USF .111). They held their first five opponents this season to below .200. Santa Clara tallied a season-high six block solos on Friday.
VIDEO | Head coach Jon Wallace on matching up against LMU/Pepperdine, SCU's focus and playing at home. #StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/L7hw52UePe
— SantaClaraVolleyball (@scuvolleyball) October 11, 2016
SCU SEASON NOTES
- Santa Clara began the year with its best start in program history at 9-0, which marks just the fourth time in the 54-year program history that the Broncos started 6-0 or better. The team's previous best start was 7-0 in 2005, when it reached the NCAA Tournament's Final Four. The Broncos clinched their best start to a season with a four-set win over West Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 10 at the Cal Classic.
- Santa Clara's nine straight regular season match wins in 2016 (10 straight dating back to the 2015 regular season finale against Pacific) marked the longest streak since the team won 15 matches in a row in 2005.
- Santa Clara defeated No. 7 USC 3-1 on Aug. 27. The Trojans are the highest-ranked team the Broncos have defeated in SCU regular season history. Santa Clara defeated No. 5 Arizona and No. 5 Stanford in back-to-back weeks during the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
- Kirsten Mead took home her second career West Coast Conference Player of the Week award Aug. 29.
- Santa Clara played its first 14 contests away from the Leavey Center, which matches the longest stretch to start a season in program history. The Broncos had six true road matches and eight neutral site contests leading up to their home opener against Pacific, and posted a 9-5 record in that stretch. They had 14 straight contests away from home to start the 2012 campaign, and went 10-4 to open the season.
- The Broncos earned three Tournament MVP awards and 10 All-Tournament team selections in the first four weeks of the season:
- USC Baden Invitational: Kirsten Mead (MVP), Nikki Hess, Taylor Laugero
- Active Ankle Challenge: Jensen Cunningham (MVP), Nikki Hess, Hailey Lindberg
- Cal Classic: Nikki Hess (MVP), Hailey Lindberg, Taylor Odom
- Boise State Invitational: Nikki Hess
The Lions come into Thursday's match at 12-6 and 3-3 in WCC play. They have alternated wins and losses in their last six matches, including victories over Pepperdine, Saint Mary's and Portland as well as defeats against San Diego Pacific and Gonzaga. Each of the three defeats was a five-set contest.
LMU boasts one of the best offenses in the country: it ranks sixth in the NCAA (second in the WCC) with 13.65 assists/set and 14th in the NCAA (second in the WCC) with 14.35 kills/set. Sarah Sponcil leads the charge with 3.69 kills/set (fourth in the WCC).
The Waves enter the week at 7-11 overall and 1-5 in WCC play. They play at San Francisco Friday night before their trip to the Mission campus on Saturday. Pepperdine has lost three straight matches and nine of its last 10 overall.
Jasmine Gross is second in the WCC with 1.24 blocks/set. Heidi Dyer, one of the most versatile players in the conference, is tied for third in the NCAA with five triple-doubles (kills-assists-digs). She is the only WCC player and one of only 15 players in the country with a triple-double on the season.
THURSDAY PROMOTIONS
Welcome to Claradise (All Fans): Wear your tropical themed attire to be entered into a raffle for prizes.
Giveaway (First 50 Fans): Santa Clara Sunglasses
Ruff Rider Rewards Redemption Day (Students): Level 1 and 2 rewards are available for pickup.
SATURDAY PROMOTIONS
Camper Reunion: All 2016 summer volleyball campers will get free entry into the game by wearing their camp t-shirt.
Postmatch Autographs (Poster Giveaway Part 1): Approximately 10 minutes after the match, join the volleyball team on the court to receive part one of our four-part 2016 Santa Clara Volleyball schedule poster and player autographs.
MORE INFO
Tickets: Season or single-game tickets are available. Click here to purchase online or contact the ticket office weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at (408) 554-4660 or BroncoTickets@scu.edu. Group discounts are also available through our ticket office sales and service consultants. Doors to the Leavey Center, as well as its ticket office, are open one hour prior to the start of the match.
Parking: For weekday matches, the Leavey Center lot, located on Accolti Way off El Camino Real, is free beginning one hour prior to first serve. Any other parking facility on campus will be subject to normal daily rates or restrictions, including the main structure, located adjacent to Stevens Stadium on Palm Drive. During the weekend, campus parking facilities are free (except for permit required locations). Click here for a campus map and parking restrictions.
