SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara volleyball put together a complete effort to secure a home-opening sweep.
Ngozi Nwabuzoh and Michelle Gajdka each posted 11 kills, and Chloe Loreen registered 19 digs to lead the Broncos to a 25-18, 25-15, 25-15 win over Sacramento State, which was forced into 20 attack errors.
Sarah Davis posted six kills and Mikaela Nocetti had 11 digs for the Hornets (1-3) who were held to a .000 attack percentage.
The Broncos (2-2) built early leads in each set and were never threatened.
Sacramento State had a chance to steal the final set when a pair of errors by the Broncos helped the Hornets creep within 16-14.
However, Santa Clara went on the offensive with Nwabuzoh chipping in two kills during a 5-0 run and Sacramento State was unable to get closer than five points the rest of the way.
After 25 digs helped the Broncos claim the opening set, their offense took over in the second. They hit .529 to build 17-8 lead and the Hornets were unable to pull closer than eight points the remainder of the set.
HIGHLIGHT | SQUAD. GOALS.
— Santa Clara Volleyball (@scuvolleyball) August 30, 2018
Full highlights from last night's sweep victory! ▶️ https://t.co/QGdYi726XK#StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/OLkuylkt5N
VIDEO | Head coach Jon Wallace on the play of @michelle_gajdka and Ngozi Nwabuzoh in tonight's sweep over Sacramento State! The juniors shared the match high with 11 kills apiece. #StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/5ySPPNHTNo
— Santa Clara Volleyball (@scuvolleyball) August 29, 2018
NOTES
• The Broncos averaged 20.7 digs per set after averaging 13.45 entering the contest.
• Loreen has 45 digs over the last two matches after combining for 17 in the first two of the season.
• Sacramento State is the reigning Big Sky regular-season champion, posting a 26-10 mark, including 15-1 in the league a year ago.
• SCU now leads the all-time series 20-10 and has won six in a row.
NEXT UP
The Broncos go back on the road to play in the Ameritas Players Challenge in Lincoln, Nebraska. They face Wake Forest and Ohio on Friday and host Nebraska on Saturday. The perennial national-championship contender Cornhuskers are ranked fifth in the nation.
