A final A final (December 14, 2005)test for Perret

Menlo Park resident leads SCU into the Final Four

by Rick Eymer

Cassie Perret escaped taking her only final exam, choosing to attend a women's volleyball practice in preparation for last weekend's NCAA Regional tournament at Stanford.

A senior at Santa Clara University, it's not as though Perret was slacking her school work. On the contrary, she put a lot of effort into her final presentation in collaboration with fellow students.

Her fellow presentation teammates were the ones who cut Perret some slack. For the first time since beginning her college career, Perret actually had something other than school to worry about during finals week, and that was good news.

"No one has ever experienced it but as seniors at least we understand what finals are like and we were able to talk with the freshmen about it," said Perret, a Menlo Park resident. "We all made sure to get everything done and get some rest."

As it turns out, Broncos coach Jon Wallace was more agitated than his players during the week. The final results were impressive as Santa Clara advanced into the Final Four for the first time in school history, becoming the first West Coast Conference team to advance beyond the Elite Eight.

The 11th-ranked Broncos (27-4) beat Pepperdine, 30-28, 30-23, 30-14, on Friday night at Maples Pavilion and then beat fifth-ranked Arizona, 22-30, 30-24, 30-26, 15-30, 17-15, on Saturday and now faces top-ranked and national top-seeded Nebraska on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. (PST) in San Antonio.

Third seed Washington and No. 17 Tennessee meet in the other semifinal at 4 p.m. Santa Clara was unseeded in the tournament, while the Lady Vols were seeded 15th. Washington lost only to UCLA in five games. Nebraska's lone loss came at then-No. 11 Texas in five games.

"We're in uncharted waters here and I like it," Wallace said. "We'll be ready to play."

The Huskers swept Stanford early in the season and beat Pepperdine in four games.

When it comes to volleyball, Perret has consistently been on the dean's list throughout her stay at Santa Clara. This year she just might be the most improved player in Division I.

An all-West Coast Conference first team pick last year, Perret earned WCC Player of the Year honors and was named to the all-West Region first team this season, putting her in line for All-American status.

"Cassie brings an all-around game," Santa Clara assistant coach Dustin Moore said. "She's an excellent passer, she can play on either the left or right side and attacks well on both sides. Volleyball is starting to get specialized, so to have someone like Cassie, who doesn't come off the court very often, is very comforting. She's always been one of the most consistent players we've had. She never misses practice and she plays hurt."

Moore, who graduated from, and later coached volleyball at, Menlo College, has a unique perspective on Perret, whom he remembers as a shy, quiet kid at Woodside Priory.

Moore coached at Woodside Priory, taking the Panthers to their first-ever Division V state title. Perret was an integral part of that success.

"She's matured a lot and her confidence has grown," Moore said. "She's playing like a senior. She's showed signs of (All-American play) ever since she came to Santa Clara."

Perret stands out even on a team with a balanced attack. She owns one of the nation's best hitting percentage (she hit .455 against Pepperdine with one error in 22 total attacks), and recorded career bests in nearly every offensive and defensive statistic.

"That's become an average night for Cassie," Wallace said of her hitting percentage.

She's also part of a core group Santa Clara has been able to recruit from the greater Bay Area who were slightly under the radar for most of the top Division I programs. They've become examples of how talented local players stand up against the rest of the nation.

"Stanford will always have the opportunity to get the best two or three players in the country every year," Moore said. "We've done a good job of finding those other kids from the Bay Area and California and getting them to believe in what we're trying to do."

Only two of the Broncos attended high school outside of California and seven played at Central Coast Section schools.

Beating Stanford in the second round the previous week - also at Maples Pavilion - can only help local recruiting in the future.

Wallace, who played men's volleyball at UC Santa Barbara, is the rare coach who seems more pumped up than his players. He nervously walks the sidelines, comes out near the court to encourage the Broncos and once in awhile slaps palms with a player after a particularly good effort.

"All week long my nerves were unraveling," Wallace said. "But the players just said 'we're fine.' They saved me; they made me sane."

After addressing the media on Friday night, Wallace was still in the throes of Santa Clara's success and he was greeting friends with robust handshakes and pats on the back.

"I get a kick out of seeing him like that," said Perret, who couldn't help but chuckle when she caught a glimpse of him in the hallways at Maples in just such a gesture.

Anna Cmaylo, a sophomore out of Napa, is also in consideration for All-American status. The middle blocker led Santa Clara with 14 kills, five blocks and hit .765 against the Waves. She hits as dynamically as Stanford products Ogonna Nnamani and Logan Tom have in the past.

"I do try to hit it where they are not but sometimes I do just wail away and hope they don't return it," she said. Not many do, and so the Broncos continue their most successful season ever.

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