1st-ever undefeated conference season?

By Jason Cohn

It would appear as if Santa Clara volleyball cannot be stopped this season. The No. 11 Broncos are currently 20-1 on the year and on pace to go undefeated in the West Coast Conference. The dynamic team has handily defeated all of their conference opponents this season.

"All the teams in the West Coast Conference better look out because Santa Clara is coming back to beat you again," freshman outside hitter Brittany Lowe said, following a 3-0 sweep of Pepperdine on Friday.

The Broncos have a dangerous combination of veteran players mixed with the spunk of youth from sophomores Anna Cmaylo, Crystal Matich and Caroline Walters, as well as Lowe who was recently tabbed WCC Co-Player of the Week.

"Anytime you get freshmen and sophomores to play as hard and as well as they do, it's fun to watch, and I'm just really excited to have them in our program," head coach Jon Wallace said after Friday night's game.

Middle blocker Anna Cmaylo has her own opinion of the talent displayed on the court this year.

"I don't really feel like there's a visible separation between classes when we're on the court. It's just six volleyball players trying to win," Cmaylo said. "However, the upperclassmen and coaches have been so helpful because they have a lot of experience and knowledge to offer."

That help has really paid off. Cmaylo is leading the squad in blocks with 93 while Lowe has played the most games this season and is averaging 3.69 kills and 3.11 digs per game. Both numbers are second highest on the team.

Matich and Walters are also having stand-out seasons. Matich, a setter, is currently leading the WCC in service aces with 38 in addition to assists, averaging 14.4 per game. Walters, at the libero position, has been the team's defensive leader, posting 4.43 digs per game, which is the fourth highest in the WCC.

"Caroline and Crystal deserve a lot of recognition. Caroline is the glue of this team. She has been making some spectacular digs for us and Crystal has been so good setting the ball in the right place," said senior hitter Cassie Perret.

Perret has also had a stellar season, leading the WCC in hitting percentage while gaining national recognition for her play in her first year as an outside hitter. She is also very proud of her warm-up partner, Brittany Lowe.

"Brittany has really impressed us with her play. She's real confident, but not in an arrogant way. I don't even think of her as a freshman," Perret added.

Perhaps her teammates don't think of Lowe as a freshman because she is not playing like one. Last week, after recording her ninth double-double of the season, Lowe earned her third WCC Player of the Week honor, the most of any player in the conference.

With the numbers to back up her confidence, Brittany is definitely one of the frontrunners for WCC Freshman of the Year, while her team is the frontrunner for the conference title.

"We're working hard every day. We have a goal of winning conference and right now we're a target for other teams," said Cmaylo.

Even with all their success, the youngsters know they'll have to look to the upperclassmen for the strength to finish out the season.

"We've had great leadership," said Wallace. "Team captains Kristen Luxton and Kim McGiven have gotten the girls prepared to come and play at a high level in every practice and every game."

McGiven, a junior outside hitter, is getting it done on the court as well, leading the team in kills per match with 4.30 while adding 2.06 digs a game.

The formula that Wallace has put together this season just might be Santa Clara's best volleyball team yet. The team has won 13 matches in a row and are just one win away from tying the school's record win streak set in 1993.

The Broncos are just five wins away from going undefeated in conference play, a feat that has never been accomplished at Santa Clara. Additionally, with just two more wins, the team will secure having the best regular-season record in school history.

Santa Clara has one more game outside of conference play this season against No. 12 California, on the road at Berkeley, and it is one that Lowe is definitely looking forward to.

"I really, really wanna beat Cal because I have a friend on the team there," Lowe said. "They stopped recruiting me because they thought I wasn't tall enough or good enough, and I want to show them that I am."

Lowe has already shown the rest of the conference why her team has been a force to be reckoned with, as the team has already beaten everyone in the conference at least once and leads the conference in nearly every statistical category, including hitting percentage, assists and kills.

Her plans for the rest of the quarter are set as far as she is concerned.

"My mom booked my ticket home on December 19th because the NCAA Tournament ends on the 18th and I know we'll be playing in San Antonio, Texas until December 18th."

Contact Jason Cohn at (408) 551-1918 or jrcohnstead@hotmail.com.