SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Santa Clara University volleyball team kept coming back on Saturday, closing out its own Mission Classic tournament on a winning note with a 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-18, 26-24), non-conference triumph over CSU Bakersfield at Leavey Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Saturday's match might have looked totally different if the Broncos (7-2) didn't prevail in what was actually a very tight first set, despite the 25-18 final score. The opening frame alone saw 10 ties and five lead changes, with Santa Clara using a 7-1 run at the end to pull away and grab a 1-0 match advantage.
- Santa Clara hit .357 and .560 in the first and third sets, respectively, to get out to a 2-1 match lead. It was another identical 7-1 run by Santa Clara late in the third that changed another 18-17 score into a 25-18 win for the Broncos.
- CSU Bakersfield (4-5) never trailed in the second set, though it had to fend off yet another Santa Clara surge. The Roadrunners led 11-4 in the second, but the Broncos charged back with their own 11-4 run to tie it at 15-15. CSUB would score three of the set's final five points with two kills and a block to eek out the 25-23 win and even the match at 1-1.
- Santa Clara stayed with the theme in set four, coming from behind after trailing at both 16-10 and 20-15 to win the set, 26-24. A key 8-0 run flipped the match from going to five sets to putting the Broncos on the verge of victory, turning CSU Bakersfield's 20-15 lead into a 23-20 advantage for SCU.
POST-MATCH COMMENTS
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 3: The Broncos had three players with double-digit kills for the second straight day. Sophia Tulino led all players with 20 kills, Layla Truitt posted 14, and Lia Okammor tallied 10.
- 3rd: Tulino's 20 kills Saturday tied a season high and marked her third 20-kills performance of the year. Through nine matches this season, she already has 130 total kills while hitting .243.
- 4th: For the fourth time in five matches, setter Nive Tuileta went over the 40-assists mark. She collected 47 versus the Roadrunners, giving her five 40-plus assists performances in 2023. She also had a double-double Saturday with 11 digs.
NEXT UP
- The Broncos take a trip to North Carolina next week for three matches. The road trip begins Thursday at North Carolina Central before facing North Carolina on Friday and Duke on Saturday. Fans can find all live coverage links on the Broncos' schedule page.
