SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It was another hard-fought battle Thursday night for the Santa Clara University women's volleyball team, as the Broncos battled back all night and nearly came away with a win to open West Coast Conference play before Pepperdine finally escaped with a narrow, 3-2 (25-18, 12-25, 25-16, 23-25, 16-14), victory at Leavey Center.
Morgan Hayes led Santa Clara (4-9, 0-1 WCC) with yet another 20-plus kills performance, her third in her last four matches and fifth in 2026. She had 24 kills and 11 digs for her fourth double-double in her last five contests, and tied a career and season-high with six blocks, all while hitting .321.
Macy Hinshaw finished with 50 assists and 18 digs for her fifth consecutive double-double. She added three kills, tying a season high.
Cate Shanahan chipped in 15 kills and 10 digs, tallying her fourth double-double in her last five games. Freshman
Allison Dzieciuch recorded 10 kills on a .471 hitting percentage with five total blocks. It was her third performance of the season with double-digit kills and multiple blocks.
The Broncos got in an early 8-1 hole in the first set, but dug out of it to get within 11-10 on a Hayes kill, two
Grace Flanagan kills and a service ace. The teams traded points through the middle of the set, but Pepperdine (9-3, 1-0 WCC) pulled away late and took the opener, 25-18.
Santa Clara dominated the second set, pulling away a four-point service stretch from 17-9 to 21-9. Shanahan served and Hayes added a kill during the run. Flanagan finished the set with a kill from Hinshaw, giving the Broncos a 25-12 set win.
The Broncos' main push came midway through the third set, when Shanahan, Dzieciuch and Hayes helped trim Pepperdine's 12-6 lead to 12-10. Dzieciuch had a kill and teamed with Hayes on a block during that stretch, but Pepperdine regained separation and took the set 25-16.
Santa Clara was staring defeat in the face in the fourth set, down 23-22, but it answered with three consecutive points to win the set and tie the match at 2-2. A Hayes kill tied the score at 23-23, then consecutive blocks clinched the 25-23 set win. Flanagan was involved in both closing blocks, first with
Selin Aslayan to reach set point and then with Hayes to finish it.
The Broncos again faced defeat in the fifth and final set, trailing 14-12, but they'd erase the deficit on a Pepperdine service error and Hayes kill. But the Waves answered with the final two points, finishing the set 16-14 on a kill by Maggie Beauer and a service ace by Charis Kai.
Beauer led Pepperdine with 18 kills, adding four blocks. Tristen Raymond recorded 39 assists, 13 digs and five blocks. Laine Briggs collected a team-high 17 digs and added six assists. Irelynd Lorenzen finished with seven blocks and four kills.
Santa Clara's defense held the Waves to just .196 hitting Thursday, but 30 attack errors and 13 service errors kept opening the door for Pepperdine. The Waves had 12 total blocks as a team, including four in the fifth set alone.Â
The Broncos' WCC-opening weekend continues at 1 p.m. Saturday when they host LMU. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.
