SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Getting set to wrap-up the regular season, Santa Clara volleyball hosts Saint Mary's on Tues., Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. for Senior Day. Earlier this year the Broncos took down the Gaels 3-1 on the road.
"I sensed a couple weeks ago that our team was tight with all the things that were on the line. All of our youth showed," said Santa Clara head coach Jon Wallace. "Going into the USF match we were trying to shake that and it took us a little while to get past it. We started a little tight, but ended up playing Bronco volleyball and playing really well. I'm really happy with the girls for grinding through that and at the end you could tell it was a big relief. This week's practices have been amazing. The girls are in a good spot and ready to compete on Tuesday."
Santa Clara is 21-9 this season and 11-6 in West Coast Conference action. They are third this week with 1.81 sapg and are fourth nationally in team aces with 190.
Saint Mary's is 9-18 overall and 5-12 in the WCC. The Gaels are 5-6 in away matches, including 3-5 in the WCC. Earlier this season Saint Mary's had a nine-match losing streak from Sept. 12 through Oct. 16. Alexis Salmons leads the Gaels in hitting with a .300 mark and collects 1.83 kpg. Samantha Tinsley leads the team with 3.28 kpg while hitting .148. Milena Popovic is tops with 3.12 dpg while Dalas Dodd leads the way with 6.97 apg.
"We'll have a lot of distractions going into Saint Mary's with it being Senior Night and a meaningful match," said Wallace. "I told the girls that we want meaningful matches in November and December and that we should embrace it. They're ready for that and they're excited. This isn't about Saint Mary's, it's about us and how we approach it. It's about our energy and our aggressiveness. They're a great team that's well coached. We know they're going to battle but we're going to control what we can control and play Bronco volleyball."
Nikki Hess leads Santa Clara with 3.69 kpg and is third with 2.17 dpg. Sabrina Clayton is second on the team with 3.32 kpg and is tops with 0.42 sapg. Kirsten Mead is second on the country in assists with 11.9 apg, behind just Madi Bugg of Stanford. Danielle Rottman is averaging 4.65 dpg and is second on the Broncos with 0.34 sapg.
With so much riding on this game, Wallace and his staff are working to keep the team focused on the task at hand.
"I think we're through our tightness. We realize that doesn't help us be our best," said Wallace. "All year we've worked on having the right mental approach as well as the right physical approach. We've learned our lesson and we're better for it. This is a very committed group and they just want to get better everyday. They got a lot better this week and made some good strides in how they need to play."
With such a young team, Wallace knows how important this group of seniors has been to the 2014 Broncos.
"This class has been an awesome trio in their four years here at Santa Clara," said Wallace. "They embraced the hard work, they embraced the work ethic, they embraced the core values and they're leaving a great legacy with our young core in the program. They're excited to play on their Senior Night in Leavey. We'll honor them and remember them."
