Oct. 26, 2003
MALIBU, Calif. - The 12th-ranked Santa Clara University women's volleyball team dropped its second straight West Coast Conference match Sunday afternoon as Pepperdine defeated the Broncos by a 3-0 score at Firestone Fieldhouse. Game scores were 30-25, 30-24, 27-30 and 30-27 in favor of the Waves.
With the loss Santa Clara falls to 14-8 overall and 5-2 in league play while Pepperdine improves to 17-2 overall and 7-0 in conference action. The Waves also extend their conference win streak to 35 straight dating back to the 2000 season.
A bad attack percentage for Santa Clara and a big block at the net for Pepperdine allowed the Waves to jump out to a 2-0 lead after the first two games. The Broncos only managed a .096 percentage while 12.5 blocks for Pepperdine told the story.
On the verge of getting swept in game three the Broncos trailed by a 25-22 before reeling off five straight points and eventually taking game three by a 30-27 score. SCU battled through game three but fatigue set in for SCU and Pepperdine closed out the match with a 30-27 win in game four.
Becky Potter led the Broncos on the afternoon with her 18 kills, followed closely by Alyssa Lantz's 16. Kelli Sousa's 56 assists were a match-high while Lexie Bothman's 18 digs also were a match-high. Kim McGiven gave the Broncos a spark, posting 10 kills with only two errors after coming in for the first time during game two.
Katie Wilkins paced the Waves with her 17 kills while Katy Daly and Lyndsey Hache each chipped in with 13. Melissa Mehlhorn's 52 assists directed the Pepperdine offense with Christina Hinds' 16 digs leading the defense. The Waves ending the contest with 17 points coming off blocks, led by Sophia Milo's eight block assists.
Santa Clara returns home next weekend for a pair of WCC matches against Portland and Gonzaga. Friday night's match on October 31st against the Pilots is slated for a 7 p.m. first serve, as is Saturday night's match against the Bulldogs of Gonzaga.
