Aug. 24, 2007
BOISE, Idaho - The Santa Clara University volleyball team got the season started on the right note in the season-opener, knocking off Cal State Fullerton 3-0 in the opening match of the Boise State Invitational. The No. 24 Broncos won the games by scores of 30-21, 30-19 and 30-20 to sweep by the Titans. Sophomore Lindsy Evans set a career high with 16 kills to lead the offense for SCU, while seniors Crystal Matich and Caroline Walters also had big nights for Jon Wallace's squad.
In the first game, SCU got out to a 5-2 advantage behind three assists from Matich, who led the team with 39 in the match, and a pair of kills by junior Brittany Lowe. After the Titans tied the score at 10 points apiece, the Broncos pulled away to a 17-11 advantage before cruising to a 30-21 win in game one. Freshman Krista Kelley finished the game with a kill off a pass from Matich. Freshman Alex Scoffone was also active in game one with a couple of kills and some strong defense from the middle blocker position.
In game two, Cal State Fullerton got out to an early 3-0 lead, but two kills from Matich and a block from Evans helped SCU get back to a 4-3 advantage. With the score tied 5-5, the Broncos went on a 13-4 run to grab a nine-point lead at 18-9. Five of those points came on sophomore Lauryn Dowd's serve. SCU then pulled away for an 11-point win at 30-19. Junior Nichole Clark ended things with a kill on another assist from Matich.
With the match seemingly in hand, SCU found itself in a dogfight in game three with the Titans getting out to leads of 9-6 and 12-10. However, Wallace's team showed some fire, reeling off five straight points to grab a 15-12 lead. Three of the points came on kills by Evans with assists to Matich. Dowd also contributed a kill in the game-changing run. The Broncos would not trail again and three straight kills from Evans late in the match sealed the deal for SCU. With a 30-20 win in game three, SCU picked up its first win of the season.
Lowe finished the match second in kills with nine, while Walters began her march towards the all-time digs record with 14 digs. Overall, the Broncos hit at .364 for the match, while holding Fullerton to .096.
Santa Clara will have little rest, as the team plays two matches on Saturday, Aug. 25. At 9:30 a.m., the Broncos face Texas-San Antonio and then they close out the tournament against the host, Boise State, at 6 p.m.
