Oct. 20, 2003
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This Week: WCC Road Matches Againsr Ranked Opponents
The Santa Clara University volleyball team will head back out on the road this weekend for a pair of key West Coast Conference matches in southern California. The Broncos will face Loyola Marymount Friday evening at 7 p.m. before taking on Pepperdine Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Sunday's match with the Waves will be televised live on College Sports TV and will mark the first time that a WCC match will be shown on national televsion.
Santa Clara vs. Loyola Marymount
The Broncos and Lions have met 42 previous times entering this Friday's matchup with LMU holding a 25-17 all-time advantage in the series. Loyola Marymount in one of only two teams in the WCC to have a winning record against the Broncos, but lately it has been SCU who has dominated the series. Santa Clara has won the last seven meetings between the two schools dating back to 1999. The last time that LMU defeated SCU was on October 23, 1999. Santa Clara head coach Jon Wallace has a 7-1 record against LMU in his previous four years on the Mission Campus
Santa Clara vs. Pepperdine
The Broncos and Waves have also met 42 previous times entering Sunday's key WCC battle with Pepperdine holding a commanding 29-13 all-time series advantage over SCU. During Jon Wallace's time at Santa Clara the Broncos have a 1-7 record against the team where he served as an assistant for seven seasons prior to taking over the reigns at SCU. The last time these two teams met in Firestone Fieldhouse, Pepperdine was able to hold off the Broncos for a 3-2 victory that included a fifth game score of 15-13. Santa Clara holds the distinction of being the last WCC team to defeat the Waves, taking a five-game thriller to claim the WCC title on November 18, 2000. Since then the Waves have posted a 29-0 record against league teams.
Last Weekend: Broncos Sweep San Francisco and Saint Mary's
Santa Clara swept both of its matches over the weekend in the Leavey Center, defeating San Francisco Friday night and Saint Mary's Saturday night. The Broncos became the first team to sweep the Dons this season when they posted scores of 30-25, 30-27 and 30-20 Friday evening. SCU came back the next night and handed the Gaels three-straight losses by scores of 30-27, 30-23, 30-24. For the weekend the Bronco offense hit .300 as a team and had six players in double-digit kills. Kelli Sousa posted a season-high total for a three-game match with 54 assists against Saint Mary's while Toni Muratore averaged five kills per game in the six games played. Cassie Perret averaged 4.5 kills per game for the weekend while Becky Potter averaged 3.83 kills, 4.16 digs and 1.5 blocks per game in the two sweeps.
Toni, Toni, Toni
Sophomore Toni Muratore had a big weekend during the Broncos' 3-0 victories over San Francisco and Saint Mary's. The outside hitter from Atwater, Calif., posted 30 kills in the two matches while notching a .344 hitting percentage. Her 16 kills against SMC were a match-high.
Sousa Making Mark on Bronco Volleyball History
Kelli Sousa has become one of the best setters in the nation during her career on the Mission Campus. As a junior she led the country in assists per game with her 14.38 average. She has picked up in 2003 right where she left off in 2002. Thus far this season Sousa has spread the ball around enough that three players ended 13 of the team's 20 matches with double-digit kills. With 1,042 assists this season, she now has 4,533 for her career, the second highest total in program history. She passed Kris Kosnoski , who posted 4,421 in her career, with her 45 assists against No. 18 San Diego on October 11. She trails only Roz Pelayo for the all-time record, who recorded 5,732 assists in her four year career at SCU.
Potter Within Reach of 1,000 Kills - 1,000 Digs Plateau
After the first 18 matches of the year, senior Becky Potter has moved from fifth place all-time, to second place all-time in career kills at Santa Clara. Her 319 kills thus far in 2003 give her 1,609 for her career. She trails only Ynez Carrasco (1,748) for the all-time mark after passing Lia Young's mark of 1,496 against Sacramento State on September 30. Additionally, Potter has 982 digs in her career, leaving her only 18 shy of the 1,000 dig plateau. When she reaches the milestone, Potter will become only the sixth player in program history to accomplish such a feat.
Super Sophs
True Sophomores Alyssa Lantz and Cassie Perret each helped guide the Broncos to a pair of wins last weekend as the duo combined for 47 kills, 30 digs, seven block assists and a .327 hitting percentage in the six games. The two were able to post 53.5 points in the two matches, totalling over one third of the Broncos'output for the weekend.
Potter Posts Program's First Triple-Double in 12 Years
Just eight days after becoming only the 10th player in program history to attain a double-double (23 kills and 20 digs on September 30 at Sacramento State), senior middle blocker Becky Potter became only the fourth player in program history to post a triple-double. The All-American from Clovis, Calif., registered 19 kills, 13 digs and 11 total blocks in the Broncos' 3-2 loss at No. 9 Cal on October 8. The last time a Bronco posted a triple-double was on October 19, 1991 when Jennifer Guigliano attained the feat with 17 kills, 17 digs and 11 total blocks in a match at Gonzaga.
Wallace Gets 100th Victory
With the Broncos' 3-2 victory over Sacramento State on September 30, Santa Clara head coach Jon Wallace became only the second coach in Bronco Volleyball history to reach the 100-win plateau, joining Mary Ellen Murchison. Wallace attains the feat in only his fifth year on the Mission Campus and has the all-time win mark for a coach set squarly in his sights as Murchison's mark of 162 wins was posted in 11 seasons.
Six of Final 10 Matches Against Ranked Opponents
Santa Clara has faced and will continue to face one of the toughest schedules in the nation during the 2003 season. Through the first 20 matches, the Broncos have faced seven ranked teams, and 12 teams that appeared in the 2002 NCAA Touranemnt. Still to come are six matches against teams currently ranked in the AVCA USA Today top-25, including three against top-10 ranked squads.
In the Rankings
SCU received its highest ranking of the season this week in the AVCA/USA Today Top-25 Coaches' Poll, as the Broncos came in at No. 12, moving up two spots from No. 14 where it had spent the previous two weeks. Santa Clara entered the season with its highest ever preseason national ranking of No. 14. The Broncos moved up to No. 13 after an early season victory over No. 10 Arizona, but fell to No. 20 one week later after three losses to top-25 teams.
Up Next: Portland and Gonzaga at Home
Santa Clara returns to the Leavey Center next weekend for a pair of WCC matches. The Broncos will play Portland on Friday night before taking on Gonzaga Saturday evening. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
