Nov. 9, 2006

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Riding the momentum created by a couple of wins in a row and the approaching NCAA Tournament, the No. 22 Santa Clara volleyball team returns home to the Leavey Center this weekend to begin a regular season-ending three-match homestand. The action begins Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. as the Broncos take on the Portland Pilots, and continues Saturday with a 1 p.m. contest against the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Tickets for each match are available by calling (408) 554-4660 or by clicking here.

The Broncos (18-6, 7-4 WCC) have won their past two and four of their last five matches, most recently a 3-0 sweep of UC Davis this past Tuesday night. Last Saturday, outside hitters Kim McGiven (22 kills-13 digs) and Brittany Lowe (15 kills-13 digs) posted double-doubles while Anna Cmaylo put down 21 kills at a .432 clip with three block and Caroline Walters made 22 digs to lead SCU to a come-from-behind, 3-2 win over Loyola Marymount.

On the year, Cmaylo leads the West Coast Conference with a .401 hitting percentage and is fourth with 1.18 blocks a game. McGiven sits fourth with 4.28 kills a game and Walters' 4.29 digs a game is also good for fourth in the conference. Setter Crystal Matich, who returned last Thursday at Pepperdine after missing the first nine conference matches due to a foot injury, also stands second in the WCC with 13.20 assists a game.

The Pilots (8-15, 1-9 WCC) currently at the tail end of the West Coast Conference and are in the midst of a seven-match losing streak after being swept by Gonzaga last weekend. The Pilots lead the conference with 1.94 aces per game, and are led by the 3.28 kills a game of Nicole Thometz and 4.73 digs a game of Murphy McClenahan.

After sweeping the Pilots in Portland on Oct. 14, Santa Clara now leads the all-time series between the two schools, 35-7.

The Bulldogs (8-17, 3-7 WCC) are coming off of a three-game sweep of Portland last weekend, and have won three of the team's last four matches. Becky Jones leads the Zags with 3.79 kills a game, while Elaina Renius is putting down 2.60 kills a game at a clip of .301. Defensively, Renius (1.16 block per game) and Briawna Mueller (1.11 blocks per game) lead the defense at the net while Alecia Douglas leads the back row with 3.30 digs a game.

The Broncos lead the all-time series against the Bulldogs 33-6 after capturing a dramatic 3-2 victory in Spokane on Oct. 12.

Following this weekend's action, the Broncos will close out the regular season at home next Saturday, Nov. 18 with a 1 p.m. match against the San Diego Toreros. Prior to the match, the team will honor seniors Kim McGiven and Megan Pura as part of the Senior Day celebration.