SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara volleyball announced its 2019 schedule on Wednesday, featuring 31 matches and 12 home contests in Leavey Center. The Broncos play more than one third of their matches against teams that qualified for the 2018 NCAA Tournament in the first season under head coach Erin Lindsey.
"We are very excited for the 2019 season," Lindsey said. "We were able to put together a strong nonconference schedule that we believe will prepare us to compete in the WCC. Being able to travel to three tournaments hosted by teams that are on the rise in their conferences will be a great challenge and allow us to test our systems and competitive fire."
Santa Clara begins the campaign on Aug. 30 against Florida International and UT Martin at the Indiana Invitational (Bloomington, Indiana). They face Marshall and the tournament host Hoosiers on Aug. 31 as part of four matches in two days on opening weekend.
The Broncos match up against CSUN, Cal State Bakersfield and Fresno State Sept. 5-6 at the Fresno State Invitational (Fresno, California) before returning home to co-host a tournament with San José State. SCU hosts the Spartans in its home-opening match Sept. 12, followed by Marist Sept. 13 and Northern Colorado Sept. 14.
"We are also very excited to have the opportunity to host a tournament here in Leavey," Lindsey said. "Playing well at home and protecting our court will be huge for us as we contend in the WCC."
Santa Clara rounds out its nonconference schedule Sept. 20-21 against Montana, Denver and Air Force in a tournament co-hosted by the Pioneers and Falcons. The team's meeting with Denver marks the first of 11 tilts against squads the made the 2018 NCAA Tournament; the rest come in West Coast Conference action with two matchups apiece against BYU, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Saint Mary's and San Diego.
The Broncos open conference play on the road against the Lions (Sept. 26) and have their WCC home-opener Oct. 1 against the Gaels. They take on BYU, a 2018 national semifinalist, Oct. 12 on the road and Nov. 7 at home. SCU closes the year with a three-match homestand Nov. 21-26 against the Waves, the Lions and Pacific.
The 2019 NCAA Tournament begins Dec. 5 on campus sites and concludes with the national championship Dec. 19-21 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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