Jan. 5, 2009
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara volleyball team finished the 2008 season with an 18-10 overall record and a tied-for fourth place finish in the West Coast Conference with an 8-6 mark. The Broncos earned their 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and were the only WCC team to advance to the second round after knocking off then-No. 16 Kansas State. SCU fell to host-Washington, 3-0. The then-No. 5 Huskies advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to Nebraska, 3-2.
Cmaylo Earns Third All-America Honors
On Dec. 17, senior middle block Anna Cmaylo became the fifth Santa Clara student-athlete to earn three All-America honors as she was named to the AVCA's third team. The Napa, Calif., native was named to the AVCA All-Pacific Region team for the third time last week and was an All-West Coast Conference First team selection. She becomes just the fifth Bronco in Santa Clara history to earn three All-America honors as men's soccer standout Ryan Cochrane '03, and women's soccer stars Jennifer Lalor '96, Danielle Slaton '00, and Aly Wagner '02 have all received the honor three times as well. In the Santa Clara career record books Cmaylo ranks No. 1 in block assists (399); No. 2 in Hitting PCT (.365); No. 3 in total blocks (449); No. 3 in block average (1.12); No. 9 in kills (1,247); and No. 9 in kill average (3.11 k/s).
Broncos Rank In Final Top-25 Poll
The Santa Clara volleyball team ends the 2008 campaign ranked No. 25 in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)/Bison Top-25 Coaches Poll. It is the fifth time under the direction of head coach Jon Wallace that the Broncos appeared in the final top 25 poll. The Broncos entered the top-25 on Sept. 29, checking in at No. 23. Santa Clara climbed as high as No. 18 after knocking off then-No. 15 Pepperdine and starting WCC play with a 4-0 record.
Bronco Leaders
A Rollercoaster Ride
The 2008 season for SCU was quite the rollercoaster ride. The Broncos opened the year with a 1-1 record after the Utah Tournament, but rebounded to post a five-game winning streak that included Wallace's 200th career victory over alma mater, UC Santa Barbara. Just before the start of conference play, the Broncos split matches with then-No. 22 Long Beach State, which helped SCU jump into the National Rankings for the first time since early 2007. Santa Clara then stormed into West Coast Conference action with four straight wins, including a 3-2 edging of then-No. 15 Pepperdine. SCU ended the first half of league play with a 4-3 record. The Broncos went onto complete the sweep of Pepperdine, LMU, Gonzaga and Portland, but fell once again to USF, San Diego and Saint Mary's to close out the regular season.
WCC Honors
Four Santa Clara volleyball standouts were recognized by the West Coast Conference this year. Cmaylo received first team honors, while fellow middle blocker Tanya Schmidt was named to the All-Freshman team. Receiving honorable mentions nods were setter Davigeadono and outside hitter Lowe.
On the National Stage
In the final 2008 national rankings, Santa Clara is listed in all seven team categories with six top-100 finishes, and five athletes are ranked individually. The Broncos highest team ranking is in kills per set, No. 53 (13.47). Individually, Cmaylo checks in at No. 23 in hitting percentage, while Davigeadono is No. 45 in assists per game. Santa Clara also ended the regular-season ranked regionally and nationally by the AVCA. For the full list, see page 5 of the PDF linked above.
SCU In The Postseason
SCU has reached postseason play for 11 straight seasons, 10 of those under the tutelage of head coach Jon Wallace. The senior class of this 2008 squad is the last group of the 2005 Final Four team (Nichole Clark, Cmaylo, Lowe, Michelle Luxton, O'Brien). The Broncos have advanced to the second round on three occasions - 1999, 2000, 2005 - with the 2005 season being its most prolific as they made their way to the Final Four. Santa Clara owns an 11-14 all-time postseason record.
Broncos and the Record Books
The Santa Clara career record books have seen some changes this season. Now that the final tallies are in, three Broncos are ranked in 12 different career categories. Lowe is ranked as high as No. 2 in career aces and No. 4 in kills and kills average. Cmaylo owns the career block assists record (399) and is ranked No. 2 in career hitting percentage. Davigeadono entered the books this season and is ranked No. 9 in career aces and No. 9 in block assists. In single season records, Cmaylo's hitting percentage of 37.6 is No. 3. For their complete list of rankings, check page 4 of the PDF linked above.
Lowe Named CVU National Player Of The Week
Lowe earned her fourth career weekly honor as she was named CVU.com National Player of the Week this week. She compiled a double-double in both matches against then-No. 19 Pepperdine and LMU. For the week, Lowe averaged 4.29 kills per set on .273 hitting. She also had 4.14 digs per set and added three total aces.
Cmaylo Breaks 15-year-old Record
With her four block assists against then-No. 20 San Diego on Oct. 16, Cmaylo broke the school's 15-year-old career block assists record. She continues to separate herself from the former record and currently has a tally of 371. The record was 363 and was set in 1993 by Jennifer Guigliano.
Wallace Reaches 100 Conference Wins
Wallace became the third coach in West Coast Conference volleyball history to reach 100 league wins with the Broncos 3-2 win over Pepperdine. Wallace owns a 100-28 WCC record and a 205-80 career record.
Cmaylo Earns WCC Player Of The Week Honors Twice
Redshirt senior Cmaylo was named the WCC's Volleyball Player of the Week on Sept. 22 and Oct. 6. The first honor game after the Broncos defeated Sac State and then-No. 22 Long Beach State. Cmaylo posted her first double-double of the season against the 49ers with 12 kills and 10 blocks. The second honor came after victories over Pepperdine and LMU. Cmaylo posted a 41.7 hitting percentage, four service aces and nine total blocks.
Cmaylo Named To ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII Team
The political science major was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII third team earlier season as she has a 3.42 grade-point average. Off the court, Cmaylo serves as president of Santa Clara's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is actively involved with community service efforts. Last season, despite not being on the court, she helped her fellow Broncos raise over $3,000 for "Dig For The Cure," a national fundraiser benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Lowe Reaches 1,000 Digs
Outside hitter Lowe became the next member of the 2008 Bronco roster to reach 1,000. She did so with her 11 dig performance on Saturday, Sept. 20 against Long Beach State. Lowe is the only current Bronco to have surpassed 1,000 kills and digs. She is the first since Becky Potter '03 to reach the feat. She now has 1,007 career digs and 1,247 career kills.
Broncos Take Second At Stanford
The Broncos went 2-1 last weekend at the Stanford Invitational. Santa Clara defeated UC Santa Barbara in four sets and then swept New Mexico State before falling to then-No. 7 Stanford in three sets. Lowe averaged a team-best 3.80 kills per set, while Cmaylo compiled a 33.3 hitting percentage. Davigeadono dished out 10.40 assists per set, while both she and Cmaylo posted a team-best 16 total blocks each.
All-Tournament Team Honors
Two Broncos earned all-tournament team honors last weekend at the Stanford Invitational. Setter Davigeadono and middle blocker Cmaylo both received the accolade. Davigeadono registered 10 kills, a 23.8 hitting percentage, 10.40 assists per game, 17 digs and 16 total blocks. Cmaylo averaged 2.5 kills and 1.5 digs per set, and posted 16 total blocks and two aces.
200
With their victory over UCSB Thursday night, the Broncos handed head coach Wallace his 200th career victory. Under his direction, the Broncos have compiled a 201-79 overall record and a 98-28 mark in West Coast Conference play. On Sept. 12, 2006 the Broncos defeated the San Jose State Spartans 3-2 to give Wallace his 163rd career win, putting him alone atop the wins list, surpassing the 162 career victories of Mary Ellen Murchison (1978-88). Now Wallace will look for WCC win No. 100 in October.
Cmaylo Reaches 1,000
Redshirt senior Cmaylo became a member of the Broncos' 1,000 Kill Club last weekend. The Napa, Calif., native entered the tournament 15 kills away from the feat. With her match-high 17 kill performance on Saturday against Texas State, Cmaylo has compiled 1,015 kills thus far.
All-Tournament Team Honors
The Broncos won their first preseason tournament of the year after going 3-0 at the Sheraton Four Points Arizona Invitational in Tucson last weekend. Three Broncos earned All-Tournament team honors. Lowe led the pack as she was named MVP, while Schmidt and Nina Sevastopoulos were also named to the list.
Strong Opening
Santa Clara is now 8-2 in overall season openers under the direction of head coach Wallace and 7-1 in openers on the road. All-time, Santa Clara is 16-15 in season openers.
Broncos Selected To Finish Third In The West Coast Conference
The Broncos were picked to finish third in the West Coast Conference in a preseason coaches poll. The Broncos earned a share of the WCC Championship last season after finishing in third place in 2006. Santa Clara received 53 points in the poll, behind Pepperdine's 55 points and San Diego's 56 points.
