DAYTON, Ohio — The Santa Clara University women's volleyball team faced tough competition at the Flyer Invitational and Raider Invitational Friday, falling to both Eastern Illinois and Wright State in closely contested five-set matches.
In their first match against Eastern Illinois (1-0) at the University of Dayton's Frericks Center, Santa Clara (0-2) lost, 3-2 (25-13, 25-18, 18-25, 22-25, 9-15). The Broncos recorded 60 kills and 7 service aces during the match, showcasing a strong offensive effort.
Morgan Hayes led the team with a career-high 27 kills and added three blocks.
Cate Shanahan followed closely with 16 kills and three blocks, serving one ace as well.
Macy Hinshaw was instrumental in the team's performance, tying a career high with 54 assists and anchoring the defense with 16 digs.
Selin Aslayan made her mark from the service line with three aces and contributed seven kills.
Santa Clara started strong in the first set, taking advantage of an attack error by Eastern Illinois and maintaining momentum with key contributions, including kills from Hayes and Flanagan. The Broncos dominated the set, concluding it 25-13 after a decisive kill by Shanahan. In the second set, Santa Clara continued their offensive push, led by Aslayan's kill and consecutive service aces from
Lexi Trapani, ultimately winning 25-18.
However, the tide turned in the third set as Eastern Illinois mounted a comeback, taking a 7-2 lead that Santa Clara could not overcome, losing the set 25-18. The fourth set saw Santa Clara initially in control, but Eastern Illinois rallied back to secure a 25-22 victory. In the fifth set, despite a strong defensive effort from Shankle and Shanahan, Eastern Illinois capitalized on errors to win the set 15-9 and the match.
Peyton Castillo contributed 39 assists for Eastern Illinois, while Emma Hanson led with six total blocks. Kopshever shone with 18 kills and three service aces, tallying 22 points overall.
Later in the day, Santa Clara faced Wright State (1-0) at the Raiders' Nutter Center and fell in another hard-fought match, again losing 3-2 (25-20, 14-25, 22-25, 25-16, 13-15). The Broncos matched Wright State with 53 kills and recorded eight service aces.
Macy Hinshaw led Santa Clara with 45 assists and added 16 digs, while Hayes contributed 13 kills and four blocks.
Lexi Trapani fortified the defense with 17 digs, and
Cate Shanahan secured 12 kills and three blocks.
Santa Clara began the first set strong, capitalizing on Wright State's errors to take an early lead and ultimately winning 25-20. However, they struggled in the second set, allowing Wright State to take control and secure a 25-14 win. The third set saw the Broncos make a strong push but ultimately lose 25-22. In the fourth set, Santa Clara rebounded with strong performances from Hayes and Dzieciuch, winning decisively at 25-16.
In the crucial fifth set, Santa Clara started strong but saw Wright State rally back to take a 15-13 victory, concluding the match. Reilly Zegunis was a standout for Wright State with 16 kills, while Mya Ayro added an impressive 24 kills and 10 digs.
Both of the Broncos' opponents Friday were in the NCAA Tournament last season. The Broncos will face Atlantic-10 Conference preseason favorite Dayton at 9 a.m. PDT Saturday in Dayton, Ohio.
