SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Julia Sangiacomo and Michelle Shaffer each had nine kills, and Taylor Odom added eight to help lead Santa Clara volleyball to a 26-24, 25-22, 25-21 victory over Saint Mary's on Tuesday.
Sangiacomo had 10 digs and Odom posted seven blocks as the Gaels (4-8, 0-2) were held to a .097 hitting percentage.
Elena Baka had 11 kills, Sienna Young posted 10 and Kelsey Knudsen tallied 18 digs for Saint Mary's, which had won the last three in the West Coast Conference series.
Shaffer had five kills and four of her 14 assists in the final set when the Broncos (11-5, 1-2) led from start to finish. The Gaels chopped a six-point deficit to 19-17 on a pair of Santa Clara errors, but Shaffer followed with a kill and Saint Mary's never got closer. Liliana Light's kill clinched the match and the first WCC victory for first-year head coach Erin Lindsey.
The Broncos, who hit .136 for the match, went to Sangiacomo on the offensive end in the second set and she produced six of the team's 16 kills. She increased the lead to 22-17 on an assist from Shaffer and then had another kill after the Gaels pulled with one. But Odom answered with a kill and the Gaels dropped the set on an attack error.
The opening set was a defensive struggle, but tight from start to finish with 12 lead changes and six ties.
An ace from Parker gave the Gaels a 23-19 lead, but it was all Santa Clara after that as it scored seven of the final eight points. Odom followed with a kill and the set was knotted after three straight attack errors from the Gaels. Sangiacomo closed it out with an ace.
Light added 17 assists and eight digs, and Gretchen Reinert chipped in 11 digs for Santa Clara.
HIGHLIGHTS | Set clinchers in the first and third frames of tonight's sweep victory over Saint Mary's!#StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/xWDd0VQXJd
— Santa Clara Volleyball (@scuvolleyball) October 2, 2019
QUOTABLE
INTERVIEWS | @Coach_ELindsey and Taylor Odom chatted with @PassarelliVoice on @TheWCCNetwork after tonight's victory over Saint Mary's! Full audio interviews:
— Santa Clara Volleyball (@scuvolleyball) October 2, 2019
��️Lindsey ▶️ https://t.co/hKsmwO5456
��️Odom ▶️ https://t.co/IpXTkCxWgd#StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/ZpeH4dlxpt
UP NEXT
The Broncos face San Francisco on Friday with start time set for 7 p.m. from Leavey Center.
NOTES
• It marked the third time this season a Santa Clara opponent posted an attack percentage below .100.
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