Women's Volleyball Finds Success in Texas

By Ryan Marshall

The Santa Clara Women's Volleyball team took their talents to Austin, Texas this weekend to participate in the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational. The Broncos finished 2-1 in the tournament and boosted their overall record to 5-6. The trip followed a four-match skid dating back to Sept. 3 when the Broncos fell to the then 24th-ranked Michigan Wolverines at the Utah Valley State Tournament.

Surely the big stage — and the even bigger ensuing opponent (the 8th-ranked Texas Longhorns) ­­— had the Broncos teeming with anticipation to set foot on the hardwood of the Frank Erwin Center in Austin.

Santa Clara head coach Jon Wallace didn't feel there was anything to lose entering their first match.

"Going into the Texas tournament we were kind of in a rough spot," said Wallace. "We play the number eight team in the country on their home court so we knew that was going to be tough. We were just trying to find a good rhythm for ourselves, and in essence, there's no pressure on that match for us."

The visitor's locker room at the Erwin Center was filled with music, dancing and excitement.

"(There was) a lot of energy and it was really fun," said junior setter Alexandra Palmer.  "We were all just super excited to play."

The Broncos channeled that excitement into a stern focus as the first match of the tournament approached.  Santa Clara knew that it would take an elevated performance to beat an opponent like Texas. The Broncos played well but the Longhorns were just too much, taking the match by scores of 25-13, 25-23 and 25-19.

"Our goal going in was just to play hard, play disciplined and play the percentages, and I thought we did that," said Wallce. "We executed our game plan well, we just lost."

Following the loss, Santa Clara was faced with a quick turnaround as the tournament continued the next day.

The next opponent was the University of Texas at San Antonio, and the Broncos had an opportunity to put an end to their five-game losing streak.

Palmer explained that the main point of emphasis for this second match was "to come out with the same fire and energy that we had for the Texas match. It was 7 a.m. Pacific so that was tough, but we really wanted to come out with the same energy and play hard."

The losing streak did come to an end that morning, but the Broncos had to earn it; the two teams battled through five sets before Santa Clara came out victorious.

In addition, the Broncos were forced to come from behind in order to secure the win. Up against a 2-1 deficit after three sets, it turned into a must-win scenario. Santa Clara took set four after Texas' Dempsey Thornton hit the ball out of bounds for the Bronco's 26th point to Texas' 24.

In the fifth set, Santa Clara faced yet another deficit — this time with the entire match on the line. Santa Clara trailed 14-10 in the final set only to battle back and pull off a come-from-behind win.

Looking to ride the momentum from their exciting victory that morning, the Broncos stepped onto the court against Southern Methodist University with a similar mindset.

"Just getting a win under our belt (against UTSA) was really exciting and a big confidence booster so we carried a lot of that into our next match which was huge," said Palmer. "(Our game plan) was the same: keep the same energy and really focus on our side and not worry about who we're playing."

Nothing came easier against Southern Methodist as the Broncos held on to win the match in another five-set thriller to cap off the weekend.

The team now has momentum heading into conference play.

"Our confidence is very high, it's exciting," said Palmer. "Getting those two wins was huge going into conference. Knowing that we can hold our own against a highly ranked team is very exciting going into our match against San Diego."

Coach Wallace urges Santa Clara students to come by and support the team this Saturday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. in the Leavey Center.

"We're trying to get as many Rough Riders to the match as possible to help us out," explained Wallace. "We'll be watching film on San Diego and kind of putting together a defensive game plan for them. We'll be ready. We'll be prepared."

Contact Ryan Marshall at (408) 551-1918 or rmarshall@scu.edu.