Dec. 3, 2008

Weekly Notes (PDF)
2008 Player Profiles (PDF)
2008 NCAA Tournament Bracket (PDF)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara volleyball team travels to Seattle for the First/Second rounds of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, hosted by the University of Washington. The Broncos will battle the Wildcats of Kansas State at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5. The rounds will be held at the Bank of America Arena.

Washington will then face Portland State at 4 p.m. The winners of the two matches will face each other in the second round on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m.

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.

Last Time Out
The Broncos brought the 2008 regular season to a close with an unfortunate 3-0 loss to the Gaels of Saint Mary's on Senior Night. Brittany Lowe led SCU with her 10th double-double of the season of 14 kills and 11 digs. Lowe, Anna Cmaylo, Lindsy Davigeadono and Tanya Schmidt each posted three blocks.

Bronco Watch
Cmaylo continues to lead the Broncos at the net with a 38.6 hitting percentage and a 1.08 blocking average. She has also dished out 24 service aces. Lowe averages a team-best 3.63 kills per set and owns the team-high 33 aces. Davigeadono averages 10.93 assists per set and 0.96 blocks per set, and Taylor O'Brien collected 3.46 digs per set.

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 Schmidt was named to the All-Freshman team. Receiving honorable mentions nods were setter Davigeadono and outside hitter Lowe.

On the National Stage
In this week's national rankings, Santa Clara highest ranking came at No. 48 in assists and kills per set. The Broncos also moved up to No. 55 in blocks per set. Individually, Cmaylo is No. 20 in hitting percentage, while Davigeadono is No. 30 in assists per set. Santa Clara also ended the regular-season ranked regionally and nationally by the AVCA. For the full list, see page 5.

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 (Clark, Cmaylo, Lowe, Luxton, O'Brien). The Broncos have advanced to the second round on three occasions - 199, 2000, 2005 - with the 2005 season being its most prolific as they made their way to the Final Four. Santa Clara owns a 10-13 all-time postseason record.

Scouting Kansas State
The Wildcats enter the postseason with a 24-7 overall record and third place finish (14-6) in the Big 12 Conference. On the attack, Rita Liliom leads the team with 4.13 kills per set, while Megan Farr averages 1.24 blocks per set (10 solo, 136 assists). K-State is ranked 16th in the most recent Bison/AVCA Coaches Poll. In their last outing, the Wildcats defeated the Red Raiders of Texas Tech, 3-0. Liliom had 15 kills, while Kelsey Chipman posted five blocks. Both were match-highs.

Last Time Out
The Wildcats and Broncos last met in 2006 at the Fresno State Invitational. Santa Clara earned the 3-0 victory.

All-Time vs. Kansas State
Friday's match marks the second meeting of the two teams in which Santa Clara owns a 1-0 record.

Scouting Portland State
The Vikings enter the first round of the tournament with a 20-8 overall record. Portland State won the automatic bid after winning the Big Sky Championship. It is PSU's first trip to the Big Dance. In their last outing, Portland State defeated Eastern Washington, 3-1, for the Big Sky title. Marija Vojnovic posted a double-double with 14 kills and 16 digs, while Tracy Vargas had eight blocks. Viking players to watch: OH Marija Vojnovic (2.94 k/s, 29 SA, 3.00 d/s, 0.23 b/s); MB Erica Jepsen (1.31 b/s, 1.86 k/s); MB/OH Tracy Vargas (1.00 b/s, 11 SA).

Last Time Out
The Vikings and Broncos last met on Sept. 12, 1986 at the California Invitational in Berkeley. Portland State won the match, 2-0.

All-Time vs. Portland State
A potential meeting in the second round of the NCAA Tournament would mark the fifth meeting of the two programs and the first meeting in 12 years. Portland State is undefeated in the series, 4-0.

Scouting Washington
The Huskies enter the first round of the tournament as the No. 5 overall seed. Washington has a 24-4 overall record and finished second in the Pac-10. It is UW's 12 NCAA tournament appearance and seventh straight. In 2005, the Huskies won the National title. Washington has won its last 13 of 14 contests and rides an eight match winning streak into the postseason. Huskies players to watch: OH Becky Perry (3.79 k/s, 0.59 b/s); MB Jessica Swarbrick (1.08 b/s, 2.06 k/s); OH Jill Collymore (3.06 k/s, 43 SA, 0.51 b/s).

Last Time Out
The Huskies and Broncos last met on Oct. 6, 1984. Santa Clara won the match, 3-2.

All-Time vs. Washington
A potential meeting on Saturday would mark the fourth meeting of the two teams and first meeting in 14 years in a series that the Huskies lead 2-1.

On Deck
The winning team will face the winner of the 4 p.m. match between No. 5 Washington and Portland State. The second round match will be held on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m.