SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara volleyball enters its final homestand of the 2017 season on the strength of four straight victories. The Broncos play their first match of the week Thursday against Pepperdine for a 7 p.m. first serve in Leavey Center.
SCU continued its stretch of strong performances during the second half of West Coast Conference play on Friday night. The Broncos swept San Francisco 25-11, 25-17, 25-17 in a road match at Sobrato Center. They have swept their last seven head-to-head meetings with the Dons.
Pepperdine also brings positive momentum into the week after downing Portland in straight sets on Thursday and Gonzaga in four sets on Saturday. The Waves have won three of their last four matches overall.
GAME DAY LINKS |
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| Tickets | Click here |
| Video | TheW.tv |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| Promotions | Click here |
THE MATCHUP
• Santa Clara: 13-12/6-7 WCC/4-5 Home | Pepperdine: 15-12/7-7 WCC/3-6 Away
• SCU All-Time vs. Waves: 32-40 | First Meeting: 1982
• 2017: 10/14 @PEP Santa Clara Won 3-2
• 2016: 10/15 @SCU Santa Clara Won 3-1 | 11/10 @PEP Pepperdine Won 3-1
• Santa Clara has won four of the last five matches in the series.
• Last Pepperdine win at SCU: 3-1 on 11/15/14
THE BRONCOS
Kirsten Mead led Santa Clara with a 35-assist, 11-dig double-double against San Francisco. The senior setter recorded her 1,000th assist of the season on a kill by Allison Kantor late in the first set. Mead has topped 1,000 assists three times in four years with the Broncos. She leads the WCC with 1,024 assists and ranks second in the conference with 10.68 assists/set.
Kantor posted her second consecutive double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs on Friday. The redshirt freshman outside hitter has started three straight matches and is averaging 3.27 kills/set and 2.73 digs/set over that stretch.
Michelle Gajdka led all players by notching 11 kills and added nine digs against the Dons. The sophomore outside hitter has logged at least one ace in four of the last five matches. She finished one dig shy of a double-double in each of her last two matches, including a five-set win at Gonzaga on Oct. 28 (12 kills, nine digs).
Jensen Cunningham ranks third in the conference with a .355 hitting percentage, which is 47 points higher than her career average (.308) and 67 points higher than her single-season best .289 from 2016.
THE WAVES
Pepperdine, one of the most balanced teams in the WCC, leads the conference in six statistical categories and ranks second in six more. The Waves rank 15th in the country with 274.0 total blocks. They are 15-7 in matches decided by less than five sets and 0-5 in matches decided in five sets.
Jasmine Gross leads the WCC in total blocks (156, third in NCAA) and blocks/set (1.51, ninth in NCAA). She set the single-season record for blocks by a Wave with 154 in 2016 and broke that record during the team's four set victory against Gonzaga. Hannah Frohling leads the team with 373 kills (3.62/set) and ranks in the conference's top five of seven categories.
PROMOTIONS
Perfect Attendance Challenge (SCU Students Only – Must be a Ruff Rider): Join the Broncos at all FIVE of the designated "Perfect Attendance" games and be eligible to win Nike prizes! If you attend two games, you're entered to win a Nike Dri-Fit Santa Clara volleyball shirt. If you attend four games, you're eligible to win a Nike Santa Clara Athletics backpack and a Nike Dri-Fit Santa Clara volleyball shirt. If you attend ALL five games, you're eligible to win a Nike Santa Clara Athletics backpack, a Nike Dri-Fit Santa Clara volleyball shirt, and Nike tennis shoes of your choosing (limited $50 value). How to play: Check-in on the Ruff Riders Rewards app at the following volleyball games: 9/21, 9/28, 10/6, 10/19, and 11/9. Our winner will be announced at the Nov. 9 match against Pepperdine.
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!