Sept. 6, 2008
TUCSON, Ariz. - Redshirt senior Anna Cmaylo led the Santa Clara volleyball team with a match-high 17 kills to a three set sweep of Texas State to win the Sheraton Four Points Arizona Invitational. The final set scores were 25-15, 25-20, 25-20. With the win, the Broncos improved to 4-1 on the season and head coach Jon Wallace moves within one win of his career 200th.
Cmaylo entered Saturday's match with 998 career kills and midway through the first set, she notched her 1,000th kill. She now has 1,015 to her credit. Cmaylo and Brittany Lowe are the only members of this year's squad to reach the feat. Meanwhile, Taylor O'Brien once again tied her career-high 15 digs. Her tally was also the match high.
After tying the score, 6-6, on kill by Nina Sevastopoulos, the Broncos climbed to a 14-10 lead in the first set. Three straight kills by Cmaylo pushed the Broncos lead to 17-10. Freshman Dana Knudsen's then brought SCU to set-point, 24-15, and block by Knudsen and fellow freshman Tanya Schmidt ended the set, 25-15.
Santa Clara opened the second set with a 5-1 lead fueled on kills from Cmaylo and an ace from O'Brien. Although Texas State came within one point on five different occasions, the Bobcats were never able to tie the score. After a four-point rally that began with a block by Schmidt and Knudsen and ended with a solo block by Cmaylo, Texas State called a timeout. Upon returning to the court, the Broncos sped to a 25-20 victory.
The third set was quite the battle for Santa Clara, as the two teams went point-for-point. The score was tied for the final time at 13-13 as Emily Jones Wilkes knotted the set for Texas State. However, SCU quickly regained control and began widening the gap. An ace from O'Brien gave the Broncos a three-point edge, 16-13, but the Bobcats brought to bring the score within one, 16-15, on a kill by Jessica Weynand. Yet, Texas State errors, an ace from freshman Libby Morrison and a kill by setter Lindsy Davigeadono gave Santa Clara a 20-15 lead.
The Broncos reached set-point on a kill by Cmaylo, her 17th of the day, but were then held off by a late four-point Bobcat fight. Yet, a kill by junior Lauryn Dowd, her first of the season, ended the tryst and Santa Clara won the set, 25-20.
For the weekend, Davigeadono compiled a 47.6 hitting percentage and averaged 11.20 assists per set. Knudsen was right behind her with a 47.4 hitting percentage. Schmidt led the Broncos with 10 total blocks (1 solo, 9 assists) and had a 45.7 hitting percentage. Sevastopoulos tallied a 34 kills in the three matches, while Morrison dished out seven service aces and O'Brien collected 3.80 digs per set.
The Broncos return to action at the Stanford Invitational on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 4:30 p.m. against UC Santa Barbara. Santa Clara then battle New Mexico State on Friday, Sept. 12 at 4:30 p.m. and brings the Invite to a close on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. against No. 3 Stanford.
