PRINCETON, N.J. — A stout defensive effort and a standout offensive showing by sophomore outside hitter
Layla Truitt Tuesday got the Santa Clara University volleyball team back on the winning track with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 27-25) sweep over Princeton at Dillon Gymnasium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Santa Clara (6-1) shut down the Tigers defensively in the first set, holding them to .103 hitting. The Broncos logged all four of their blocks in the match during the first set, with sophomore middle blocker Lia Okammor playing a part in every one of them.
- The first set was as close as it could be with eight lead changes and 15 tie scores. Even with the Santa Clara defense going strong, it took a 5-0 run from the Broncos to break a 20-20 tie and win the set, 25-20.
- The Broncos never trailed in the second set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and later going on a 5-0 spurt that made it 16-8. Santa Clara hit .414 in the second set alone, racking up 15 team kills with only three errors.
- The third set was as tight as the first set was, featuring three lead changes and eight ties, but it came with wild point swings on both sides. A 10-1 run by Santa Clara gave it an early 13-6 lead. Princeton answered with a 7-2 run that closed the deficit to only two. Then the Broncos put up a 4-0 sprint that made their lead six, but the Tigers countered with a 6-0 stretch that tied the match at 20-20 again (just like in set one).
- From there, the teams traded one- and two-point swings until Princeton had set point at 24-23. The Broncos fought off two set points and scored three in a row to end the set and match with a 27-25 triumph. Sophia Tulino and Truitt answered the call in the clutch. Tulino turned in a kill to tie it at 25-25. Then, with Tulino serving, Truitt gave the Broncos match point at 26-25 with a kill off an assist from Tulino. Tulino closed things out with a service ace to clinch the match.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 3-0: Tuesday marked the Broncos' third 3-0 sweep of the season. The team had five 3-0 sweeps in all of 2022, and it didn't get its third of the year until the fifth week of the season (Tuesday marked the end of an extended week two weekend).
- 7: The Broncos had seven service aces Tuesday, their most of the road trip and most since turning in 10 at San Jose State on Aug. 27.
- 15: Truitt led all players with a season-high-tying 15 kills and a .370 hit percentage. It was her highest hitting percentage of the season and fifth-highest of her career (minimum 10 kills).
POST-MATCH COMMENTS
Head Coach
Erin Lindsey
- "So proud of the way our team came back after the tough loss on Sunday. We talked about what we wanted to learn and take from the loss and one thing was to figure out how to finish."
- "Princeton is a very fundamentally solid team with one of the best outside hitters we have seen all year. We found our serving game again and stayed really gritty in a very hot environment. Really happy for our freshmen Grace (Flanagan) and Alyssa (Eimer) for a great, full-match showing."
NEXT UP
- The Broncos return home on Friday to host their own Santa Clara Mission Classic at Leavey Center. The tournament will mark the program's first matches inside a newly renovated Leavey Center and will feature three other teams –Air Force, CSU Bakersfield and Saint Mary's. Fans can find all live coverage links for all tournament matches on the Broncos' schedule page.
