Oct. 23, 2008
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The No. 23 Santa Clara volleyball returns to West Coast Conference action on Friday, Oct. 24 with a match against long-time rival Saint Mary's. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga.
Follow The Broncos Online
Bronco fans can follow the volleyball team online with live stats via the GameTracker link on the main page of www.SantaClaraBroncos.com. All home games and some road games will feature live video/audio of the match.
Last Time Out
Santa Clara faced two tough setbacks last weekend with 3-1 losses to then-No. 20 San Diego and San Francisco. Both matches were extremely close with several lead exchanges. Santa Clara then rallied to defeat San Jose State, 3-1, Tuesday night in a cross-town rivalry match.
Bronco Watch
Anna Cmaylo continues to lead the Broncos at the net with a 37.7 hitting percentage and a 1.11 blocking average. She has also dished out 16 service aces. Fellow senior Brittany Lowe averages a team-best 3.48 kills per set, while collected 27 service aces thus far. Setter Lindsy Davigeadono averages 11.02 assists per set and 0.89 blocks per set. Taylor O'Brien controls the backline with 3.29 digs per set.
"DIG FOR THE CURE"
The Broncos will once again participate in the annual "Dig For The Cure" breast cancer awareness fundraiser on Nov. 6 in their match against Gonzaga. Fans interested in donating or pledging for the cause should visit the volleyball homepage on www.SantaClaraBroncos.com.
Holdin' On
Despite the losses last week, Santa Clara remains in the AVCA/CBS College Sports Top-25 Coaches poll this week. However, the Broncos did drop from No. 18 to No. 23 this week.
Cmaylo Breaks 15-year-old Record
With her four block assists against then-No. 20 San Diego, Cmaylo broke the school's 15-year-old career block assists record. Her new tally brings her 363, which is one more than former Bronco Jennifer Guigliano, who set the record in 1993.
Lowe Moves Up In The Record Books
Outside hitter Brittany Lowe moved up to No. 4 in career kills and No. 4 in career aces this week. She is 161 kills away from taking over the No. 3 spot and is three aces away from claiming the No. 3 spot in that category as well.
In the WCC
Santa Clara ranks fourth this week after going 0-2 over the weekend. However, the Broncos did reclaim their No. 1 standing in team service aces. SCU also remains second in the league in team total blocks. Individually, Cmaylo and Schmidt flip-flopped rankings in hitting percentage, while Lowe moved up to a No. 2 spot in service aces.
On the National Stage
In this week's national rankings, Santa Clara moved up to No. 44 in aces, No. 47 in assists and No. 32 in win-loss percentage. Individually, Cmaylo is No. 32 in hitting percentage and Lowe is No. 72 in aces per set.
Scouting Saint Mary's
The Gaels enter the match on Friday with a 13-6 overall record and a 3-3 WCC mark. SMC led by Megan York's 3.94 kills per set and 3.51 digs per set, and Shannon Lowell's 1.09 blocks per set.
Last Time Out
In 2007, Santa Clara went 1-1 against Saint Mary's.
Oct. 12, 2007 - SCU 3, SMC 0 - Lowe tallied 13 kills, while Crystal Matich compiled a match-high 57.1 hitting percentage.
Nov. 9, 2007 - SMC 3, SCU 2 - Lowe tallied 24 kills and 17 digs, while Matich dished out a match-high 63 assists and collected 13 digs.
On Deck
Santa Clara returns to action on Thursday, Oct. 30 against No. 15 Pepperdine. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Malibu. The Broncos then battle the Lions on Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. in Los Angeles.
