Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The 24th-ranked University of San Diego women's volleyball team dropped its first home West Coast Conference match, 3-1, to Santa Clara University Thursday evening in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

With the 25-23, 19-25, 23-25, 23-25 loss, the Toreros fall to 9-7 overall and 2-2 in the WCC, and have dropped consecutive matches for only the second time all season. With the win, the Broncos improve to 12-4 overall and move to 2-1 in the WCC.

Sandra Lozic helped pace the Torero offense with a team-high 12 kills, while also recording 11 digs to post a double-double. Alaysia Brown was the only other Torero in double digit kills, as she had 10, while also recording four blocks. Kristen Gengenbacher (25 assists) and Jianna Bonomi (26 assists) helped steer the USD offense to a .230 attack percentage. Hunter Jennings had 12 digs, while Bonomi also recorded 12 digs.

In the first set, the two teams were pretty even in the early going, as both teams had their turn with the lead and neither team had a lead bigger than two. Then with the score knotted at 9-all, a Lozic kill sparked a 3-0 USD run to give the Toreros some momentum, and forced the Broncos into a timeout. Out of the break, USD would put together a 3-1 run to take their biggest lead of the frame at 15-10. The Broncos however then began to chip away at the lead and eventually tied things up at 19-all. San Diego held strong and did not surrender the lead and eventually took a 22-20 lead, which forced the Broncos into their final timeout. SCU grabbed the next two points, which forced USD into a timeout. San Diego then closed out the frame on a 3-1 run to take the first set 25-23.

In the second set, Santa Clara raced out to a 9-5 lead to grab the early momentum, and forced San Diego into a timeout. San Diego and Santa Clara then began to trade points, and USD could not manage to get back on even terms with the Broncos, as SCU went on to even up the match at one set a piece with a 25-19 win.

In the third set, Santa Clara grabbed the early momentum once again, as they raced out to a 6-1 lead. However, a Brown kill them sparked 12-9 Torero run pulling USD to within two at 15-13. SCU then went on a 4-1 run to take a 19-14 win to force the Toreros into a timeout. Out of the break USD would chip away at the lead and pull back to within one at 23-22, but could get no closer, as SCU claimed the frame 25-23.

In the fourth and final set, USD came out firing on all cylinders and raced out to a 10-6 lead to grab all the momentum and forcing the Broncos into a timeout. SCU would pull back even with the Toreros at 13-all, but a Brown kill then sparked a 3-0 USD run to again force SCU into a timeout. Santa Clara then went on a 7-1 run to take a 20-17 lead, forcing the Toreros into their final timeout. USD would go on to cut the lead to 21-20, but could get no closer, as the Broncos went on to claim the match with a 25-23 win.

The Toreros will return to action on Saturday with a 12 p.m. WCC match against the University of San Francisco.