Sept. 7, 2004

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This Week
Santa Clara will start a seven-match road trip this week, beginning with a visit to Honolulu, Hawaii. The Broncos will participate in the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Volleyball Challenge this weekend, where all four teams enter the event undefeated. SCU will be taking on third-ranked UCLA on Thursday, No. 11 Hawaii on Friday and Southwest Missouri State (5-0) on Saturday. The Rainbow Wahine (3-0) advanced to the Final Four last season and closed the year ranked third, while the Bruins (4-0) reached the Elite Eight and ended December listed fifth

Live Video Streaming Available on the Internet
Santa Clara and CollegeSports.com are combining to expand live coverage of Bronco sports this season with the addition of live streaming video feeds of most of the school's home athletic events, beginning with volleyball's match against Sacramento State. A part of College Sports Pass, a subscription-based service provided by RealNetworks, the live video feeds will be available on Santa Clara's official athletic website at SantaClaraBroncos.com, as well as collegesports.com and real.com. The school will also continue to provide live statistical coverage of at least six sports through the popular Gametracker feature.

Santa Clara remains on the cutting edge of technology, as it provides Bronco fans with some of the most comprehensive live web coverage of any school in the country for the past several years. By logging on, fans can now watch the games and view real-time statistics direct from the official scoring computer, all right from the convenience of a home computer."

The Schedule
Santa Clara's schedule includes matches against four teams that finished last season ranked in the top 10 nationally by the AVCA. Santa Clara will travel to non-conference tournaments in Hawaii and Texas, and face national powers Hawaii and UCLA. The West Coast Conference season begins October 1, when the Broncos host Gonzaga. The quest for the 2004 league crown will be challenging, as six of the eight conference schools advanced to the postseason last year, displaying the national strength of the WCC. Santa Clara will close the conference season with three road games, including visits to the Los Angeles league schools. Sixth-ranked Pepperdine was a Sweet 16 team in 2003 and Loyola Marymount closed the year ranked 17th nationally. The regular season finale will take place at perennial power Stanford November 23. Santa Clara will then break for Thanksgiving and await the NCAA Selection Show.

Fab Freshman Class
Santa Clara has recruited the ninth-best class in the country, according to PrepVolleyball.com in its annual rankings released in May. Nebraska received the website's top nod, followed by Florida, USC, Ohio State and Washington in the top five. Michigan, Wisconsin and Hawaii were listed ahead of the Broncos, while Kansas rounded out the top 10. West Coast Conference opponents Pepperdine and San Diego were ranked Nos. 24 and 25, respectively.

Four newcomers have made an immediate impact on the program. Middle blocker Annalisa Muratore and Libero Caroline Walters are starters, while Anna Cmaylo sees significant action in the middle, and Crystal Matich splits time at setter.

In the Rankings
Santa Clara moved up five spots in this week's USA Today/CSTV Top 25 Coaches Poll, as selected by the AVCA. The Broncos opened the 2004 season ranked 22nd and received 271 points in the preseason listing. Seven of Santa Clara's opponents are also ranked, including three top-10 teams: No. 3 UCLA, eighth-ranked California and No. 9 Pepperdine. In addition to the Waves, West Coast Conference rivals San Diego and Loyola Marymount are ranked 20th and 22nd, respectively.

CSTV to Televise Pepperdine Match
College Sports Television, the first 24-hour college sports television network, will televise the Broncos' Sunday, October 24 match against Pepperdine at the Leavey Center. First serve for the live broadcast is set for 3 p.m. The CSTV Sunday Night Spikes telecasts, featuring teams from 12 different conferences, will showcase some of the top players in pursuit of a national title. Carter Blackburn will handle play-by-play on CSTV Sunday Night Spikes, while Heather Cox and Krista Blunk will rotate analyst duties. The match will provide some drama, as Pepperdine has not lost a WCC match since the 2000 WCC finale against Santa Clara.

College Sports TV, the fastest-growing independent cable network, is available to more than 20 million homes nationally on cable and satellite. The network is available on Comcast, Time Warner and Adelphia cable systems, among others, and is also available on DirecTV (channel 610). For information on CSTV availability in particular markets, consumers can log on to www.collegesports.com/getcstv or call their cable or satellite operator.

Broncos Tabbed Second in WCC Preseason Poll
Santa Clara has been picked to finish the West Coast Conference season in second place, according to a preseason poll selected by the league's coaches. The Broncos received two first-place votes in the poll. Pepperdine was predicted to claim the 2004 league crown, receiving five first-place votes. Santa Clara tied with Loyola Marymount with 50 points, while San Diego was tabbed to finish fourth. Rounding out the poll is Saint Mary's, San Francisco, Portland and Gonzaga.

A Look Ahead: Broncos Remain on the Road
Santa Clara remains on the road to continue a seven-match road trip. The team will travel from Hawaii to Texas and participate in a tournament hosted by TCU. The Broncos will play Appalachian State, Arkansas-Little Rock and the host Horned Frogs before returning to the West Coast. Although back in the Bay Area, Santa Clara will play a road contest at San Jose State.

Season/Match Tickets on Sale
Season and individual match tickets for Santa Clara University's nationally-recognized volleyball team are on sale through the Department of Athletics' official website SantaClaraBroncos.com, and the athletic ticket office at 408-554-4660, between the hours of 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In conjunction with its exclusive Internet partner, College Sports Online, the athletic department has developed an online ticket application that provides fans with the ability to purchase season tickets, family plans, individual matches or an all-sports pass via the official athletic website. A volleyball season ticket package that includes the remaining eight home matches is available for the adult price of $65 each in the reserved section, $45 for general admission, while a family plan provides a family of five admission to each match for the low price of $100. Youth (12 and under) and senior (over 65-years-old) season tickets are also available for $25. Single matches are priced at $7 for adult reserved, $5 for adult general admission, $3 for youths and seniors and $2 for SCU students as well Bronco Kidz members. Single match team passes are also available for $30.