SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Addie Picha posted a match-high tying 11 kills, including the clincher in the third set, and Katie Lukes and Roxie Wiblin each posted nine kills to help San Diego outlast Santa Clara volleyball 25-22, 26-24, 26-24 in Thursday's matchup of West Coast Conference teams.
Anna Newsome posted 23 assists and nine kills for the Toreros (8-9, 5-2) who were out-hit .257 to .252 by the Broncos.
Michelle Shaffer had 11 kills and nine digs, Kamrin Caoili posted nine kills and Chloe Loreen tallied a match-best 21 digs for Santa Clara (5-14, 0-7).
The Broncos had chances to claim each set, but the Toreros closed the door.
After falling behind 8-2 in the third, the Broncos got back in the set with five straight points. The Toreros went ahead 15-12, but kills by Anna McCreadie and Alexa Dreyer were sandwiched around an error to even the set.
Shaffer staved off match point with a kill to make it 24-23. An attack error tied the match, but Picha came out of the timeout and registered a pair of match-clinching kills.
The Broncos had a strong start to the match, rushing out to a 7-2 lead with Caoili providing three kills. But the Toreros got their footing eventually tying the first set at 9-all on a kill by Lukes.
Santa Clara scored the next four points with Shaffer posting a pair of kills. However, four straight USD points snapped at 18-all tie with Lukes contributing three kills in the flurry. The Toreros closed out the set on a pair of Santa Clara errors.
After the teams combined to hit .300 in the opening set, neither team was as effective offensively in the second.
Two kills from McCreadie knotted the set at 21-all. But after tying the set two more times, San Diego's Lauren Fuller made her only two kills of the match count as each snapped a late tie and the Toreros claimed the set on a combo block from Fuller and Picha.
NOTES
• San Diego leads the all-time series 37-34 and has won the last seven.
• Shaffer posted double-digit kills for the seventh time this season.
• Loreen registered 20 or more digs for the fourth time this year.
NEXT UP
Santa Clara continues a four-match homestand on Saturday, facing No. 1 BYU at 1 p.m. The Broncos play Pacific (Thursday) and Saint Mary's (Saturday) next week. SCU Grand Reunion attendees can show their name tag at the ticket office to receive a $5 general admission ticket.
THE COUGARS
• Santa Clara is 4-11 against BYU in a series that dates back to 1992
• 9/21/17: BYU won 3-0 @ SCU | 11/18/17: BYU won 3-0 @ SCU
• BYU has won five straight in the series
BYU and Pitt are the only remaining undefeated teams in the country. The Cougars lead the NCAA in four categories: hitting percentage (.339), opponent hitting percentage (.143), total blocks (145.0) and blocks per set (2.74). Individually, Roni Jones-Perry leads the WCC with 4.67 kills/set and 5.43 points/set.
The Cougars were picked to win the conference in the 2018 WCC preseason poll. BYU went 30-3 overall and 17-1 in conference play last season to share the regular season championship with San Diego. The team made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
PROMOTIONS
Saturday
- Clear tote bag giveaway to the first 200 fans
Click here to see the full-season promotions calendar.
TICKETS
Season and single-game tickets are available. Click here to purchase online or contact the ticket office weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at (408) 554-4660 or BroncoTickets@scu.edu. Group discounts are also available through our ticket office sales and service consultants. Doors to Leavey Center are open one hour prior to first serve. Pricing is subject to change.
SCU Grand Reunion attendees can show their SCU name tag at the ticket office to receive a $5 general admission ticket to both of this week's matches.
PARKING
For weekday matches, the Leavey Center lot, located on Accolti Way off El Camino Real, is free beginning one hour prior to first serve. Any other parking facility on campus will be subject to normal daily rates or restrictions, including the main structure, located adjacent to Stevens Stadium on Palm Drive. During the weekend, campus parking facilities are free (except for permit required locations). Click here for a campus map and parking restrictions.
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