Volleyball moves up in rankings

By Erin Chambers

Santa Clara women's volleyball was on the road last weekend to Oregon, Washington and victory. The Broncos swept both Portland and Gonzaga, maintaining their No. 2 spot in the West Coast Conference.

Friday night's match up with Portland was largely dominated by the duo of freshman middle blocker Toni Muratore and sophomore middle blocker Becky Potter. Muratore hit a staggering .786 with 11 kills on 14 attempts with no errors, while Potter had 18 kills and one error on 33 attempts. The former WCC Freshman of the Year also posted three aces and six digs on the night.

"There is no doubt that we want to win badly enough, its just a matter of giving everything you have to make a play for every point of the match," Potter said.

The victory over the Pilots provided confidence heading into the Gonzaga match. The Broncos came out firing in the first game, posting 15 kills.

Game two went swiftly as well while the Broncos held the Bulldogs to a slight .047 hitting percentage.

Finally, sophomore outside hitter Jessie Mechem stepped up in the final frame, posting three kills to ensure the team's 14th straight victory over the 'Zags.

Santa Clara improves to a 9-2 record in the WCC and a 17-7 mark overall.

The Broncos return home this weekend to wrap up conference play with matches against Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.

"We need to remain undefeated for the rest of conference, but I am totally confident we can do it," Potter said. "And, if fate goes our way, Pepperdine could lose, and our Nov. 9 home match against them could be a repeat of last year's conference title."

Saturday's match up with LMU will also be occasion to thank seniors Merrin Thompson and Jami Bari as they suit up for one of their last home games in a Bronco uniform.