Sept. 18, 2004
Box Score
Provo, UT - The Saint Mary's volleyball team showed just how much heart and desire it has on Friday night in Provo, UT. The Gaels fell behind 2-0 in front of a rowdy crowd of 1,775 at the Smith Fieldhouse on the campus of BYU, but rallied to win the next three games and remain undefeated on the season with a 9-0 mark. "This is absolutely the most dramatic and remarkable comeback. It was incredible," head coach Jon Stevenson said.
Saint Mary's lost the first two games for the first time this season, and showed why it remains undefeated when the battled back to win the next three games, including a 12-8 come from behind victory in Game 5.
"At 0-2, I said the only thing that could be said. We knew we were better than this. Just play hard and see what happens," Stevenson told his team.
Saint Mary's got off to a slow start in the final game, falling behind 5-0 before gathering itself. The Gaels then trailed 12-8 and after a sideout, making the score 12-9, freshman Melissa Stidham rallied off six consecutive points with a devastating jump serve, including an ace for the game's final point and the 15-12 victory.
The crowd of 1,775 in an old loud building saw the Gaels improve to 9-0 on the season, and win their first game of the BYU/Utah Challenge. BYU fell to 5-3 on the season, the Cougars beat Northern Colorado earlier in the day.
"It's very meaningful for us to win at BYU," Stevenson said. Stevenson attended BYU early in his college career and assistant coach Mike Wall was an All-American for the Cougars, helping the men's volleyball team win two national championships. "The girls had a chance to quit and they didn't."
Saint Mary's fell behind early in both Game 1, losing 17-30, and Game 2, falling 14-30, but fought back to win Game 3 30-28. The Gaels jumped out early in Game 4 and went on to win 30-23..
Saint Mary's will play its final game of the Challenge Saturday night at 7 p.m. against the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City, UT.
The Gaels were led by Lindsey Bogason, who recorded a match-high 17 kills. Kaui Salzman added 13 kills and Stidham recorded six kills and 10 digs as she split time at libero and outside hitter.
In Game 1, the Gaels fell behind 9-5 to open the game, but Bogason kept them in the game early, going 4-for-4 in kills to cut the game to 9-6. BYU extended its lead to 14-7 in the opening game before the Gaels called a timeout. After the Gaels cut the lead to 18-11, the Cougars opened up the lead to 23-11, before Saint Mary's called its second timeout of the game.
BYU finished off the game with a 7-6 run, giving the Cougars a 30-17 victory. Bogason led the Gaels with six kills in the first game, Mandy Bible had 11 assists and Melissa Stidham recorded three digs.
In Game 2, the Cougars jumped out to another early lead, this time taking an 8-1 lead, before Bogason had a kill to stop the run. BYU went on another run to give them a 12-3 lead before the Gaels called timeout. BYU went on to win the game 30-14, the lowest point total in a game this season for Saint Mary's. Bogason totaled three kills in the second game and Stidham had two digs.
In Game 3, the Gaels hung around early, trailing 13-12 while Bogason served. Saint Mary's tied the score 14-14 while Kaui Salzman served midway through the game. Saint Mary's took a 17-16 lead after a Mariko Coverdale kill, causing BYU to take a timeout. The Gaels then went on to outscore the Cougars 7-5 to take a 24-21 lead, leading to BYU's second timeout of the game.
BYU came back to tie the game 24-24, leading to Saint Mary's first timeout of the game. The Gaels finished the game on a 6-4 run to take Game 3 30-28. Salzman had four kills in the game and Stidham switched from libero to outside hitter and had four kills in the game as well.
In Game 4, the Gaels jumped out to an early 6-3 lead, forcing the Cougars to take their first timeout of the game. Saint Mary's continued to carry the lead, taking a 15-10 advantage, forcing BYU to take their second timeout of the match. Saint Mary's continued its hot play, taking a 29-22 lead, before calling a timeout to set up a final play. The Gaels finished off the Cougars two plays later, winning Game 4 30-23. Bogason and Salzman each added four kills in the game.
In the deciding Game 5, the Cougars took an early 4-0 lead before the Gaels took a timeout. Bogason broke the run with a kill, cutting the lead to 5-1. The Cougars continued to lead, until the Gaels cut the lead to 12-9, forcing a BYU timeout. Saint Mary's fought back to tie the score 12-12, forcing the Cougars to take their final timeout.
