Nov. 19, 2004
MALIBU, Calif. - The 23rd-ranked Santa Clara University volleyball team earned a come-from-behind five-game victory over Pepperdine tonight in West Coast Conference action at the Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu. Games scores were 28-30, 20-30, 30-19, 30-26, 15-13. Cassie Perret's 19-kill effort led the Broncos to their 18th win on the season. Santa Clara's WCC mark improves to 9-4. The Waves were unable to hold on to a two-game lead and fall to 10-14, 7-6 as the Broncos earn the series sweep.
The Broncos remain alive for third place in the conference race heading into the final match tomorrow night at Loyola Marymount.
Pepperdine was making a comeback in game five, with a Wave attack looking like the score was going to tie at 14-14 because the attempt hit a Bronco in the back row. A diving save inside the three-meter line kept the play alive and Pepperdine's Lecca Roberts miss-hit the ball into the net to hand SCU the victory.
Perret posted her 10th double-double of the season with her 19-kill, 20-dig effort. Jac Heler and Kristen Luxton also turned in double-doubles to pace the Broncos. Toni Muratore added 18 kills and Anna Cmaylo posted 17 in the continued Bronco attack. Defensively Caroline Walters notched a career-high 32 digs to lead the visitors.
Pepperdine's Katy Daly led all spikers with 20 kills. Kristen Shultz added 15 and Sophia Milo finished with 13 for the Waves. Defensively, Christina Hinds posted 28 digs and now tops her program's all-time career record book with 1,372. She also moved into fifth in the WCC's listings with tonight's effort.
Pepperdine controlled the first two games, with only eight attack errors heading into Intermission. In contrast, the Broncos were hitting .160 at the break. Santa Clara turned it around, hitting .470 in the third frame, with six kills each from Muratore and Perret. The Broncos added six blocks and two services aces in the stanza to reduce the deficit.
Santa Clara went on a 10-3 run in game four to take a 20-17 lead and ultimately force a fifth game.
