GREELEY, Colo. — Responding to early challenges has been the Santa Clara University volleyball team's focal point during the first month of the 2022 season, and that's what it was presented with again in many forms on Friday.
The Broncos played two matches on the opening day of the Northern Colorado Classic, endured two extended first sets that went past 25 points in both contests, and overcame a 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-21) sweep at the hands of Cal Poly in the morning to beat Tarleton State in four, 3-1 (34-32, 25-20, 20-25, 25-14) in the afternoon at Bank of Colorado Arena.
"I think we're having to learn because volleyball is so situational," said Santa Clara head coach Erin Lindsey. "There are so many different situations to be in when it's tight like that in the end. I think the challenge we're trying to push through is finishing in the same way. There are all these different things happening, so the team is working really hard on problem solving and finishing in the best way."
Julia Sangiacomo (31 total kills) and Layla Truitt (28 total kills) both had double-digit kills in each match. The Broncos' (4-7) blocking showed up, too. Santa Clara totaled 17 blocks across two matches and extended its streak of having at least five team blocks in a match to three.
vs. CAL POLY
The Broncos' first set against Cal Poly (1-7) was a back-and-forth affair, and it set the tone for the rest of the match. An early 8-0 run by the Mustangs put them up by eight at 13-5. Santa Clara responded with an 11-3 stretch that tied things at 16-16. The Broncos later held leads of 20-18 and 24-23 with set point, but Cal Poly scored the next three points to surge ahead and steal a 26-24 first set win.
Santa Clara led again in set two at 12-9, but a 12-3 run by the Mustangs put them up for good at 21-15. They'd go on to take a 2-0 match lead with a 25-21 set victory. Again, Santa Clara led by multiple points in the third set, and still led at 19-18 late in the frame. But Cal Poly closed the set with a 12-4 push that included eight kills and two blocks to seal the sweep with another 25-21 set win.
Sangiacomo led the Broncos with 11 kills, her fifth consecutive match with at least 10 kills. Truitt had 10 kills, her second such match in a row. Four other Broncos had multiple kills, with Nive Tuileta powering the offense on 28 assists. She narrowly missed a double-double with eight digs, as did Sangiacomo with seven.
vs. TARLETON STATE
Santa Clara responded to its early trouble in the first match of the day, in its first set of the day, and even faced more adversity in the first set of its second match of the day, before going on to earn the 3-1 win over Tarleton State.
The two teams played 17 extra points before a winner was determined in set one. Santa Clara had six set points and Tarleton State (8-5) had three before the Broncos scored back-to-back points to win, 34-32. Tarleton had never led during the opening set until it scored consecutive points to take a 25-24 lead at the time. A Truitt kill and a Tarleton State error ended the momentum-swinging battle and gave Santa Clara the early 1-0 match lead.
Tarleton State held early leads in each of the next three sets, but Santa Clara came from behind each time. The Texans held off the Broncos from sweeping them in set three, closing the frame on a 9-5 run to win the set, 25-20.
Sangiacomo notched her fourth 20-kills match of the year and second in her last three matches, posting 20 against Tarleton State. Truitt set another new season high in her first year of collegiate volleyball with 18 kills on .325 hitting. Both players also set new season highs for blocks, with Truitt at four and Sangiacomo with five.
"We did a little better job of staying low and pressed over the net," said Lindsey about the team's blocking efforts Friday. "I think Anna Stucchi did a nice job coming in and playing a full match, and I think she does a pretty nice job getting her hands into space and creating touches. Having her helped us get into our defensive set a little better."
The Broncos will face host Northern Colorado at 5 p.m. PDT on Saturday. The Bears, a perennial postseason team that's made three of the last four NCAA or National Invitational Volleyball Championship tournaments, represent the third host team in four weeks that the Broncos have played to wrap up a tournament.
"We had been on a little bit of a slide and it wasn't always due to execution," said Lindsey. "We were playing some pretty good volleyball at times and that can be discouraging. So having a win under our belt definitely gives us some confidence going into a match against a really good program like Northern Colorado."
Saturday's match against Northern Colorado will be live streamed on ESPN+ and will have live stats available. Fans can find all live coverage links on the Broncos's schedule page.
Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Snapchat
Volleyball: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
