SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Momentum wasn't going to shift on Saturday for the Santa Clara University volleyball team the way it did Thursday against Portland.
The Broncos put the pedal to the metal Saturday midway through the fourth set with a 13-4 run that closed out a 3-1 (14-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-15) West Coast Conference win over Gonzaga at Leavey Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Santa Clara (9-5, 1-1 WCC) led 9-3 and 10-5 Thursday against Portland in the fourth set before eventually falling 25-23, and then 15-13 in the fifth as the Pilots came from behind to win the match. The Broncos were faced with an almost identical situation Saturday in the fourth, as Gonzaga (3-10, 0-2 WCC) was pushing them through the middle of the set. SCU only led 12-11, and the Bulldogs had scored six of the last nine points.
- But that's when Santa Clara turned it on. After a service error gave the ball back to the Broncos, two blocks and a kill from Sophia Tulino made it 16-12. A lone kill and an SCU service error would be the only additional points Gonzaga would score on the afternoon, as the Broncos closed out the match on a 9-2 run, winning the fourth set, 25-15.
- Gonzaga won the opening set in surprising fashion, 25-14, hitting .429 along the way. So, Santa Clara returned the favor in the second, winning by the exact same score. The Broncos almost entirely shut down the Bulldogs' offense for the rest of the match after it hit over .400 in the opening frame. Gonzaga hit .000, .039, and .083 in sets two, three and four, respectively.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- .120: Gonzaga was limited to just .120 hitting as a team Saturday. It's the second-lowest mark for a Santa Clara opponent this season, trailing only the .110 San Jose State was held to on Aug. 27.
- 3: Santa Clara had three players log double-digit kills, the third time that's happened this season. Oren Abutbul led all players with 13 kills while hitting .300. Tulino turned in 11 kills at a .286 hitting clip, and Layla Truitt also notched 11.
- 8: After tying a career high Thursday with 20 kills, Oren Abutbul set a new career high Saturday with eight blocks. The Broncos totaled 14 blocks as a team, tying a season high.
POST-MATCH COMMENTS
NEXT UP
- Santa Clara takes its first WCC road trip of the year, heading to Pacific on Saturday, then going south to take on preseason conference favorite San Diego on Oct. 5. Fans can find all live coverage links on the Broncos' schedule page.
