SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Behind a balanced offensive attack Santa Clara volleyball secured a much-needed victory Saturday, rallying to down Gonzaga, 3-1, in West Coast Conference action.
After dropping the opening set 25-18 during which the Bulldogs posted a blistering .359 hitting percentage, the Broncos captured the final three 25-21, 25-22, 25-22 with precision offense and solid defense.
Seniors Nikki Hess and Sabina Clayton both posted double-doubles, and Kirsten Mead, in her most productive match since returning from injury, totaled a season-high 51 assists for the Broncos (13-11, 4-8) who snapped a three-match skid. Hess registered a match-best 19 kills and 11 digs, while Clayton tallied 10 kills and 14 digs. Jensen Cunningham and Hailey Lindberg each had 10 kills.
Imani Wimbush led the Gonzaga (13-8, 6-5) offense with 17 kills on a .452 hitting percentage. Emmy Allen chipped in 13 kills and Sarah Bradley had 10. Faith Smith had a double-double with 28 assists and 10 digs.
The Bulldogs came into the match having won two straight and six of eight, but the Broncos had two of their best offensive sets in conference play to close out the match, hitting .368 in the third set and .324 in the fourth.
The fourth set was tied four times early before the Broncos wrestled control and held off Gonzaga. One of Mead's seven kills enabled Santa Clara to build a 14-11 lead, but back-to-back kills from Bradley and Allen trimmed the lead to one. After calling a timeout, Santa Clara ripped off four straight points.
The Bulldogs cut the lead to 23-21 on an Allen kill, but Mead, who missed 14 matches with an ankle injury, set up Hess for a kill. A Wimbush kill made it 24-22, but the Broncos, who hit .307 for the match, closed it out on a service error.
"It was great to have Kirsten Mead back in the mix," Santa Clara head coach Jon Wallace said. "She makes everyone better. We're excited about going forward."
VIDEO | @SCUVolleyball's Wallace/Hess postmatch, plus highlights from the 3-1 win over Gonzaga! https://t.co/1NwaaEvOJu #StampedeTogether pic.twitter.com/RaEnNBsMJe
— Santa Clara Broncos (@SCUBroncos) October 30, 2016
The Broncos trailed 11-4 in the opening set before rallying to within 16-13, but Wimbush's fifth kill of the set on the next point started a string of five straight for the Bulldogs who led by as many as nine before closing it out.
But Santa Clara's improved defense and offensive accuracy in the second set allowed it to even the match at 1-all.
"We just wanted to stick our processes," Wallace said. "We felt good about the scouting and we just needed better execution."
In the second set, the Broncos led 19-15 before the Bulldogs rallied with five straight to take their first lead. However, back-to-back kills by Clayton, off Mead assists, and an attack error made it 22-20. After a kill from Gonzaga's McKayla Ferris, the Broncos scored the final three points of the set. Mead set up Hess, Clayton followed with an ace, and Hess closed it out with a kill off a Mead feed.
Santa Clara had to rally to win the third set.
Down 21-16, the Broncos reeled off eight straight points following a timeout. Hess had two kills in the run and Gonzaga contributed three attack errors. A kill by Gonzaga's Paige Fowler stopped the flurry, but Mead fed Taylor Odom for the kill and a 2-1 set advantage.
The Broncos are off until Friday when they play host to San Francisco. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. in Leavey Center.
Notes: The Broncos' hitting percentage (.307) was their fourth best mark of the season, including third-highest in WCC action (.326 vs. Pepperdine, Oct. 15; .320 vs. USF, Oct. 7; .371 vs. Stony Brook, Sept. 3) … Jensen Cunningham (10) tallied her 13th double-digit kill match of the season … Hailey Lindberg (10) had her sixth double-digit kill outing of the year.