SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara volleyball plays its 30th and final game of the 2016 season Tuesday night in Leavey Center. The Broncos host West Coast Conference rival Saint Mary's at 7 p.m.

Last week, Santa Clara faced the conference's top two teams in No. 11 San Diego and No. 10 BYU. The Broncos were swept by the Toreros and fell against the Cougars in four sets. In the first meeting between the Broncos and the Gaels, Saint Mary's won a tightly-contested match in three sets.

THE BRONCOS

Santa Clara honored the five members of its senior class prior to Saturday's tilt: Madison Dutra, Katrina Inch, Mary Shepherd, Sabrina Clayton and Nikki Hess. The group of five has contributed to 70 victories, 37 WCC wins and two NCAA Tournament appearances over the last four years. Tuesday marks their final match as Broncos.

Hess had 13 kills against the Cougars to bring her career total to 1,505. With that performance, she passed Lia Young (1990-93 - 1,496 kills) for third place in career kills by a Bronco. Hess' career mark is also the best in program history for a player that spent her entire career in the rally-scoring era.

Clayton leads the conference with 0.38 aces/set, and is on pace to top all WCC players in that category for the third consecutive year. Her 162 service aces rank second all-time in program history and first all-time   Her 1,287 kills rank eighth all-time and she needs seven kills to pass Amy Kohl (1997-2000) for seventh all-time.

Taylor Laugero is third in the WCC with 4.32 digs/set. Her 462 digs on the year are 10th-most in program history for a single season and second-most by a Bronco freshman (Caroline Walters – 2004 – 513 digs). She has recorded double-digit digs in 24 of 29 matches during her freshman campaign, including 10 straight contests to begin the season. The Escalon, California native has 20+ kills in nine matches.

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

SAINT MARY'S (Click Here for team site)

The Gaels enter Tuesday's season finale at 11-17 overall and 6-11 in WCC play. They have lost six of their last seven matches, and won only five sets during that span. Last week, Saint Mary's fell to Portland on Thursday and Gonzaga on Saturday — both matches were decided in four sets.

Emily Bible ranks fifth in the conference with 0.30 aces/set and Alex O'Sullivan is seventh with 1.01 blocks/set.

TUESDAY PROMOTIONS

Fan Appreciation Day: All fans will receive a raffle ticket upon entrance for a chance to win prizes, which will be given out throughout the match.

TICKETS AND PARKING

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.

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GO BRONCOS!