LOS ANGELES — Santa Clara volleyball got off to a winning start in 2016 by sweeping UC Irvine 25-21, 25-22, 25-19 Friday night at the Galen Center as part of the USC Baden Invitational. The Broncos battled back from a first set deficit and went on early runs to take the second and third sets.
Santa Clara hit .302 as a team and the Broncos (1-0) held the Anteaters (0-1) to a .132 hitting percentage. Nikki Hess led the way by hitting .462 with 13 kills and committed only one attack error; she added six digs. Kirsten Mead tallied 35 assists and Taylor Laugero had 15 digs in her first match with the Broncos.
"I am pleased with how we played tonight," head coach Jon Wallace said. "It is good to get a win and get some of the bugs out."
The Broncos saved their best for last as they ran away with the final set, started by a 7-0 run to take an 8-3 advantage. They led by at least three points for the rest of the set and capped the match on a combined block from Jensen Cunningham and Taylor Odom. Cunningham hit .381 with 12 kills in the season opener.
The teams traded leads early in a tightly-contested first set that featured 10 ties and seven lead changes. Midway through the frame, UC Irvine won six straight points to take a 14-9 lead. Santa Clara rallied to tie the score at 19 before the Anteaters claimed back-to-back points on kills from Danielle Geiger and Victoria Dennis.
Santa Clara responded by closing out the frame on a 6-0 run. Sabrina Clayton bookended the stretch with kills and the Broncos took the last five points on Mary Shepherd's serve. Clayton posted five of her seven kills on the night in the first stanza.
The Broncos fell behind 8-4 in the second set and took command with a 14-2 spree, including eight straight points. Shepherd served up three straight aces as Santa Clara broke a 10-10 tie with the 8-0 run. UC Irvine evened the set at 21, and the Broncos won four of the final five points to take a 2-0 lead heading into the break. Hailey Lindberg had two kills in the last five points.
Santa Clara plays a doubleheader to conclude the invitational Saturday; the Broncos face No. 7 USC at 10 a.m. and Marquette at 5 p.m.
GAME NOTES: Time of the match was 1:38 … the Broncos have won three straight season-opening matches … Taylor Odom, Taylor Laugero and Michelle Gajdka made their Bronco debuts.
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Go Broncos!
