Oct. 29, 2008
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The No. 24 Santa Clara volleyball team begins the second half of West Coast Conference play this weekend with two matches in Southern California. The Broncos will battle the No. 19 Waves of Pepperdine on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. in Malibu, and then take on the Lions of Loyola Marymount on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. in Los Angeles.
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
The Broncos split its week's matches, 1-1, as they defeated the Spartans of San Jose State in non-conference play and fell to the Gaels of Saint Mary's over the weekend. Krista Kelley led SCU against its cross-town rival with 18 kills. Anna Cmaylo chipped in with a 42.9 hitting percentage and six total blocks, while Brittany Lowe had 15 kills and 11 digs, and Lindsy Davigeadono registered a 42.9 attack percentage as well. Against the Gaels, Lowe tallied 13 kills and nine digs, while Cmaylo had a 64.3 hitting percentage.
Bronco Watch
Cmaylo continues to lead the Broncos at the net with a 38.6 hitting percentage and a 1.13 blocking average. She has also dished out 16 service aces. Fellow senior Lowe averages a team-best 3.52 kills per set, while collecting 27 service aces thus far. Setter Lindsy Davigeadono averages 11.03 assists per set and 0.90 blocks per set. Libero Taylor O'Brien controls the backline with 3.30 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. The Broncos are ranked 24th this week. There are three other WCC teams ranked this week -- San Diego checks in at No. 15, Pepperdine dropped to No. 20 and San Francisco made its debut at No. 22.
In the WCC
Santa Clara is a part of three-way tie for third place in the league with Pepperdine and Saint Mary's. USF remains undefeated in league play with a 7-0 record, while San Diego is second with a 6-1 mark. The Broncos held onto their team rankings this week including No. 2 in blocks. Individually, Cmaylo checks in at No. 2 in blocks and No. 3 in hitting percentage. Lowe is second in aces and Davigeadono is third in assists.
In WCC games only, the Broncos are third in blocks and aces. Individually, Cmaylo is second in hitting percentage, while Lowe leads in service aces. Davigeadono is also second in assists per set.
On the National Stage
In this week's national rankings, Santa Clara moved up to No. 46 in assists and No. 49 in kills per set. Individually, Lowe moved up to No. 90 in kills per set and No. 70 in aces per set, while Davigeadono moved up to No. 22 in assists per set. Meanwhile, Cmaylo jumped to No. 22 in hitting percentage and No. 79 in blocks per set.
Broncos Move Up In RPI
As of Monday, Oct. 27, SCU is one of four WCC teams with a top 30 RPI. The Broncos moved up one spot from initial RPI release to No. 30. Pepperdine is No. 23, San Diego is No. 24 and USF is No. 26.
Scouting Pepperdine
The Waves enter the weekend after dropping two matches to then-No. 17 San Diego and USF. Pepperdine is part of a three-way tie with the Broncos and Saint Mary's for third place in the WCC standings. Players to watch for the Waves are: Julie Rubenstein (3.84 k/s, 0.59 b/s); Rachel Lumsden (3.22 k/s, 0.62 b/s), Cassi Chamberlain (10SA).
Last Time Out
The Waves and Broncos last met on Oct. 4 with Santa Clara pulling away with a 3-2 win over then-undefeated Pepperdine. Lowe tallied 19 kills and 18 digs for the Broncos, while Cmaylo had a 50.0 hitting percentage and four blocks. Freshman Tanya Schmidt added five blocks for SCU and Taylor O'Brien collected a career-high 25 digs.
All-Time vs. Pepperdine
Thursday's match is the 57th meeting of the two programs in a series that Pepperdine leads 34-22.
Scouting LMU
The Lions enter the weekend with a 12-9 overall record and a 2-5 WCC record. LMU was swept by both USF and USD last weekend. Players to watch for LMU include: Emily Day (4.32 k/s, 0.55 b/s, 22 SA) and Becky Stehling (2.43 k/s, 0.68 b/s).
Last Time Out
The Lions and Broncos last met on Oct. 2 in the WCC season opener. SCU defeated LMU, 3-1. The Broncos were led by Kelley's 14 kills, Cmaylo's five blocks and Lowe's double-double, 10 kills & 11 digs.
All-Time vs. LMU
Thursday's match is the 56th meeting of the two programs in a series that LMU leads 29-26.
On Deck
Santa Clara returns to the Leavey Center for two of its last three home contests next weekend. The Broncos will host the Bulldogs of Gonzaga on Nov. 6 in their annual "Dig For The Cure" match and will then battle the Pilots of Portland on Nov. 8.
