Sept. 21, 2002
DENVER, Colo. - After losing only its second match of the season earlier in the day, the 19th-ranked Santa Clara University women's volleyball team defeated the University of Denver by a 3-0 score in the final match of the Denver Invitational Saturday night.
The Broncos (10-2) dominated the action early on, winning game one by a score of 30-16 and following that with a 30-12 victory in game two. Santa Clara registered a hitting percentage of .328 in game one and .500 in game two while forcing the Pioneers (1-9) into a negative hitting percentage.
Becky Potter led the way offensively for the Broncos, recording 15 kills in only two games en route to her fourth-straight all-tournament team selection. Kelli Sousa also garnered her four-straight selection to the all-tournament team after posting 34 assists and three digs in only two games.
Megan Johnston posted a the Broncos' only double-double in the match with her 12 kills and match-high 11 digs. Freshman Cassie Perret had nine kills while fellow freshman Alyssa Lantz added eight in the victory.
Every Bronco played in the match including Kristen Luxton who dished out 17 assists in her first collegiate action during game three. Senior Amy Grabill had five kills and a .571 hitting percentage on the night while fellow senior Chrissy Hirsch collected 10 more digs.
Santa Clara's hitting was not the only facet on display in the match as its defense posted 22 more digs than Denver in limiting the Pioneers to a .100 hitting percentage for the match.
Jennifer Karas led the Denver offense with six kills on 27 attempts while Emilee Gihring led the team with her 19 assists and six digs.
Santa Clara ends its season-long 12-match road trip with the victory over Denver, finishing a remarkable 10-2. The Broncos will open its home season next weekend on Saturday, September 28th against cross-town rival San Jose State at 7:30 p.m. in the Leavey Center. That match will be the second of 13 contests played as part of the newly created rivalry series between the Broncos and Spartans.
