SANTA CLARA, Calif. — There's no denying the special aura that surrounds a Senior Night. The energy is different, the match feels different, the action is different – all because the meaning is different, regardless of opponent or record.
The Santa Clara University volleyball team fed off that energy Friday, completing a season sweep over rival San Francisco on the same night it honored seniors Julia Sangiacomo and Grace Wee, beating the Dons in straight sets, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-16), in West Coast Conference action at Leavey Center.
The match marked the final home match of 2022 for the Broncos (11-18, 7-10 WCC). Sangiacomo and Wee were honored in a post-match ceremony for their contributions to the program. Sangiacomo is fifth all-time on the Santa Clara career kills list and also has multiple academic accolades throughout her four-year career. Wee transferred to the Mission Campus for the 2021 fall season and has appeared in nearly 50 matches for the Broncos as an integral part of their defensive back line.
Listen to head @Coach_ELindsey's post-match interview from tonight's big sweep over rival San Francisco on Senior Night! ��#StampedeTogether | #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/cRbyPXa4V5
— Santa Clara Volleyball (@scuvolleyball) November 19, 2022
Santa Clara continued its recent dominance in the rivalry thanks to the 3-0 sweep. The Broncos have now won four straight over the Dons (14-14, 7-10 WCC), five of the last six and six of the last eight. Four of the last five victories have been by sweep. They've also won eight of the last nine matchups at Leavey Center.
It was difficult to find mistakes in Santa Clara's play Friday. It hit .420 as a team in the match – its third-best hitting performance this season. The Broncos only had seven attack errors – tied for their second-fewest this year. Six of the seven players who recorded kills hit .400 or better.
Layla Truitt dazzled the home crowd one last time in 2022 with a match-high 12 kills while hitting .450. Fellow freshman Lia Okammor had six kills and hit .556 out of the middle. Anna Stucchi had five kills and hit .400 from the middle as well. She also had three digs, two blocks and two service aces. Sophia Tulino had eight kills with no errors to hit .615.
Sangiacomo had seven kills, six digs and two blocks for a well-rounded performance on senior night. Wee entered in the third set, served on two points and immediately recorded a dig – proving even in brief stints, she still made a difference.
The Santa Clara defense held San Francisco to just .062 hitting in the match. That included -.032 in the third and final set. San Francisco jumped out to an 8-3 lead early in the second frame, but the Broncos flipped it on the Dons and put a 15-5 run on them to grab an 18-13 advantage. The defense collected seven total blocks and 39 digs (13.0 per set). Kat Georgiadis led all players with 11 digs.
S3 | #Broncos 20, @USFDonsVB 12
— Santa Clara Volleyball (@scuvolleyball) November 19, 2022
How about a ��ℝ��ℙ���� block! ������
Lia Okammor, Julia Sangiacomo & Sophia Tulino all get in on the action, as the Broncos force another timeout by USF and go up by 9️⃣❗️#StampedeTogether | #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/YSZR1osEaf
Santa Clara closes out its 2022 season at 7 p.m. Tuesday on the road at Saint Mary's. Fans can find all live coverage links on the Broncos' schedule page.
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