Oct. 4, 2002

Box Score

Moraga, CA - The Saint Mary's Gaels women's volleyball team (5-6, 1-0) defeated the University of San Francisco (4-13, 0-1) in its West Coast Conference opener, 3-1. Individual game scores were 31-30, 30-26, 30-28, and 30-28.

USF played their best volleyball of the night in the opening game and won a seesaw affair on a kill from sophomore outside hitter Ashley Bello. San Francisco looked to be in control of game two and held a 21-18 lead, but the Gaels erupted, outscoring the Dons 12-4 to seize game two and momentum.

San Francisco built another lead in the third game, holding a 24-19 edge, but the Dons fell apart as Saint Mary's rattled off an 11-4 run for the win. In game four the Gaels led from wire to wire and although USF challenged, it could not tie the contest and Saint Mary's took the match. The Gaels' win required an incredible amount of courage and poise, both of which were clearly present, thanks to a number of contributing players.

Rachel Avilla led the Gaels to victory, posting a career and match-high 28 kills. In route to her 28 kills, Avilla committed just four errors in 51 attempts, giving way to an astounding .471 hitting percentage. The Gaels' defensive effort was also key to the victory, as they dominated at the net recording 12 team blocks. The Gaels have Stacey O'Connor to thank for this, as she posted a new career-high in the match, contributing eight of the Gaels' 12 blocks. O'Connor, is currently leading the WCC in blocks per game with 1.40.

Brooke Lowry was her usual record breaking self, as she too managed to post a new career-high with 62 assists. Tonight's record came just days after Lowry broke her previous record of 57 assists, posting 60 against San Jose State. Lowry's new assist record is even more impressive, considering that she posted the record-breaking statistic in just four games, one fewer than in her 60-assist performance. Lowry capped off her performance against USF with 12 digs, making it her fourth double-double of the season.

Lindsey Bogason and Jill Parmele also made major contributions to the Gaels' success. Bogason posted 18 kills and nine digs, while Parmele managed 15 kills and seven digs. Freshman Kaui Salzman also had a great night, posting 19 digs for the Gaels.

Brittanie Budinger, who had 26 kills and 18 digs, led the Lady Dons. Budinger was just one of four USF players to post double digits in the digs category. Caroline Skacel, Francesca Pomilia, and Kristina Bognar had 12, 18, and 11 digs, respectively. Bognar was the Lady Dons' leading assist-maker with 52. Liz Macausland also contributed for the Lady Dons, tallying 11 kills.

The Gaels will return to action in their second WCC match of the season on Saturday, October 5. The Gaels will be playing the #19-ranked Santa Clara Broncos in the Leavey Center at 7:05 p.m.