Box Score WATCH | EYEBRONCO HIGHLIGHTS FROM TODAY'S MATCH!
Battling all day, No. 25 Santa Clara lost 3-1 to Pepperdine Saturday afternoon in the Leavey Center. Set scores were 20-25, 23-25, 25-22 and 22-25. Santa Clara is 20-9 and 10-7 in the WCC. Pepperdine is 11-16 and 6-9 in the WCC.
"I was proud of our girls and how they fought back. This loss will be good for us. Our girls are not happy with this weekend's results and we will be ready in our next two matches vs. USF and Saint Mary's," said Bronco head coach Jon Wallace. "This is a highly motivated group that I know will bounce back in a very strong manner."
Santa Clara hit .252 with 61 kills (25 e, 143 att.). The Broncos collected 58 assists, seven aces, 12 service errors, 60 digs and six team blocks.
Nikki Hess led the Broncos with 22 kills and 11 digs, hitting .283 (9 e, 46 att.). Taylor Milton scored 14 kills and three aces. Sabrina Clayton grabbed 12 kills and eight digs. Kirsten Mead had 46 assists and Danielle Rottman added 24 digs and three aces.
Pepperdine hit .263 with 51 kills (15 e, 137 att.). The Waves collected 47 assists, six aces, six service errors, 48 digs and 12 team blocks.
Pepperdine had four score double digit kills: Jillian Bergeson (12), Katie Messing (11), Samantha Cash (11) and Gaby Palmeri (10). Becca Strehlow had 37 assists and 11 digs. Allie Loitz had 17 digs.
The teams were tied up three times in early in the first set. A couple of Pepperdine errors and a kill by Hess made it 7-4. The Broncos went up 11-7 on Clayton's kill off the block. Pep scored three in a row before Clayton scored on the slide and Hess off the block, 13-10 SCU. Pep scored five of the next six to take a 15-14 lead, including a couple of aces. Milton scored off the block to tie it up 15-15. The teams tied it up four times and then Pep took a 20-19 lead. Milton scored in an empty back row to tie it up out of the Broncos timeout, but Pep scored three times to go up 23-20. Pep collected a team block out of the Broncos' timeout and then scored an ace to finish off the set, 25-20. SCU hit .250 with 12 kills (4 e, 32 att.). Pep hit .345 with 13 kills (3 e, 29 att.).
Pep took an early 3-1 lead in the second set and then Milton's swing got SCU the ball. Milton's two aces put SCU up 5-4. A kill by Hess and another by Edwards gave SCU a 7-5 lead. SCU made it 10-7 on Clayton's kill off the team block. Hess scored three straight sideouts for SCU on the slide. Pep scored a couple points, but Milton's kill in the back row got SCU the ball, leading 15-13. Rottman served three straight aces to put the Broncos up 18-13. Clayton knocked it through the block for a sideout. Pep scored three straight and SCU called for time, leading 19-17. Pep scored two of three. Calkins smacked it to the side for a sideout and Hess and Edwards collected a team block. Pep scored three times out of its timeout and SCU called for time, tied 22-22. Hess scored cross court, but Pep answered three times to take the set 25-23. SCU hit .355 with 16 kills (5 e, 31 att.). Pep hit .462 with 14 kills (2 e, 26 att.).
In the third set Pep went up 3-0 and then 5-2. Kills by Clayton and Calkins and a team block by the twosome tied it up 8-8. Pep scored four straight when SCU called for time, up 12-8. SCU scored three of the next four as Pep led 13-11. After a Pep sideout, Hess scored off the team block and Milton scored her third ace of the day. Pep scored two of the next three to take a 16-14 lead. A kill Clayton, an error by Gaby Palmeri, a block solo by
Lacey Maas and a kill by Milton made it 18-16. Coming out of Pep's timeout, the Waves scored three of the next five, but Hess scored off the block on back-to-back points, 22-19 SCU. Pep scored twice out of its timeout and then SCU called for time, leading 22-21. Pep grabbed a sideout, but Hess smacked it cross court for a kill and the set three victory, 25-22. SCU hit .200 with 17 kills (9 e, 40 att.). Pep hit .135 with 11 kills (6 e, 37 att.).
Pepperdine took a 4-2 lead in the fourth set. SCU scored three of the next four to tie it up 5-5, including a kill by Edwards on the slide. The teams were tied four times before Pep scored three straight to take a 12-9 lead. Coming out of the SCU timeout, Hess scored on the back row attack. Hess scored on the slide for a sideout, trailing 13-11. Hess and Clayton scored back-to-back kills off the block and Hess scored an ace to tie it up 15-15. After trading sideouts, Pep scored three times and SCU called for time, down 19-16. Maas tipped it for a sideout, Milton scored on the right and Clayton in the middle to tie it up 19-19. Coming out of Pep's timeout, the two traded sideouts to keep it tied up. Pep scored five of the next seven to win the fourth set and the match, 25-22. SCU hit .200 with 17 kills (9 e, 40 att.). Pep hit .135 with 11 kills (6 e, 37 att.).
