Sept. 22, 2004
Box Score
Sacramento, CA - The Saint Mary's volleyball team finally got over the large hurdle of Sacramento State that stood in their way since 1992. For the first time since September 18, 1992 the Gaels beat the Hornets, only their third victory in the 26-game series history. But Tuesday night the victory wasn't an easy task, as Saint Mary's beat the Sacramento State 3-2, with 30-28, 29-31, 30-21, 24-30, and 15-13 scores. With the win the Gaels improve to 10-1 on the season, while the Hornets dropped to 10-4.
"It wasn't going to be easy to get this win," head coach Jon Stevenson said. "This match was destined to go five games. These teams were evenly matched. We have a lot of respect for Sacramento State."
The Gaels were led by Cassandra Kolkka, who recorded a career-high 25 kills and added a career-high 26 digs. Lindsey Bogason added 17 kills and 16 digs, Missie Stidham and Stacey O'Connor each added 10 kills and Stidham added 22 digs. Kaui Salzman added 25 digs and Mandy Bible set the pace with 71 assists.
Saint Mary's returns to action on Tuesday, September 28 when it hosts Stanford at 7:05 p.m. at McKeon Pavilion. The Gaels beat No. 12 Stanford 3-2 earlier this year.
In Game 1, the Gaels battled back and forth with the Hornets for the first 10 points, with Sacramento State taking a 13-10 advantage before a sideout. The Hornets went ahead 15-12 before the Gaels' first timeout. Saint Mary's tied the game 27-27, after trailing for most of the game, forcing a Sacramento State timeout. The Gaels went on to win three of the next four points and win Game 1 30-28. Saint Mary's was led by Cassandra Kolkka, who had five kills, and Kaui Salzman and Lindsey Bogason each had four kills in the game. Kolkka also added 10 digs and Missie Stidham had nine digs.
In Game 2, the Gaels took an early lead and added to it when Stidham served her first ace of the match to give Saint Mary's a 14-12 lead, forcing a Sacramento State timeout. The Hornets answered with a mini-run of their own, taking a 20-17 lead, forcing Saint Mary's to call a timeout. The Gaels came back with three consecutive points to tie the game 20-20 forcing a quick timeout by Sacramento State. The Hornets outscored SMC 8-5 to take a 28-25 lead, leading to Saint Mary's final timeout. Sacramento State went on to win Game 2 31-29 after the Gaels tied the score 29-29. Kolkka had five kills and Salzman and Stacey O'Connor each added four kills in the game.
In Game 3, the Gaels jumped out to an early 11-3 lead, forcing Sacramento State to call its second timeout of the game. Saint Mary's continued to lead, taking a 22-16 advantage after a couple of Sacramento State points, forcing the Gaels to take their first timeout. Saint Mary's continued its hot play, taking Game 3 30-21. Kolkka added seven kills in the game and Bogason added four kills.
In Game 4, the Gaels played solid for the first 10 points, trading point with the Hornets until Sacramento State took a 16-14 lead, forcing a Saint Mary's timeout. Saint Mary's battled back from five down to cut the lead to 20-18, forcing Sacramento State to take its first timeout. The Hornets went up 26-22, after the Gaels cut the lead to 20-19, forcing Saint Mary's to take its final timeout. Sacramento State went on to win Game 4 30-24, forcing a deciding Game 5. Kolkka and Bogason had six kills in the game, and Stidham had five kills.
In the deciding Game 5, the Hornets came back from a 3-1 deficit and took a 6-4 lead, forcing the Gaels to call a timeout. Saint Mary's battled back to take a 9-8 lead after a Kolkka ace, causing the Hornets to take a timeout. Saint Mary's took a 13-11 lead before the Hornets answered with one point to cut the lead to 13-12, causing Saint Mary's to take its final timeout. The Gaels finished the game on a Bible kill, winning Game 5 15-13 and the match 3-2.
