VB | SMC Heads To Pacific For Halloween Night Showdown
10/29/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
MORAGA, Calif. -- The Saint Mary's volleyball team gained plenty of momentum Saturday when it rallied from two sets down to defeat No. 19 BYU at McKeon Pavilion.
This week, the Gaels will try to carry those good feelings forward as they head to Stockton to face Pacific for a West Coast Conference match on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Halloween night affair will be streamed live through Pacific's website, and live statistics will also be available. Thursday's match was originally scheduled for Saturday, but moved to Thursday due to a number of other events at Pacific this weekend.
Saint Mary's (12-7, 8-3 WCC) enters play this week on the heels of perhaps its finest victory of the season. With their backs against the wall, the Gaels rallied in front of a loud and boisterous home crowd, defeating BYU 15-11 in the final set to secure the win. Kristina Graven scored the match-winning kill, touching off a celebration throughout McKeon Pavilion.
With such an intense victory came some impressive statistics. Senior Jordan Shaw had a phenomenal match, registering 27 kills, 22 digs and a .350 hitting percentage. Fellow senior Graven tallied 23 kills and 17 digs while also hitting above .300 (.302). Samantha Tinsley added 17 kills, 11 digs and a .412 hitting percentage and Dalas Dodd had one of her finest matches with 68 assists, 10 digs and four blocks.
Now, the focus turns to consistency for Saint Mary's. The Gaels are 2-2 in the last four matches, with each win coming via a fifth-set thrill ride. They'll look to smooth that streak out despite being faced with another tough WCC opponent on the road.
Pacific enters Thursday's match at 11-11 overall and 4-7 in conference. The Tigers have dropped three in a row, most recently falling in last week's matches against BYU and San Diego.
Those recent results won't fool the Gaels though, as they know they're heading to take on a very talented club in Pacific. In the teams' first meeting this season, Saint Mary's pulled out a four-set win at McKeon Pavilion thanks in part to a balanced attack that saw four Gaels finish with double-digit kills. Shaw and Tinsley each had 16 kills to lead Saint Mary's while Anne-Sophie Bauer led Pacific with 13.
As she has all season, sophomore outsider hitter Kat Schulz leads Pacific offensively with an average of 2.81 kills per set. Senior Megan Birch is next at 2.66 kills per set. Defensively, freshman Lexi Elman is enjoying a strong season and comes into Thursday's match with an average of 3.85 digs per set.
Thursday's match will be one of three in a row on the road for Saint Mary's. Next week, the Gaels head to Southern California to take on Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. After that, SMC will host its final full home weekend of the season when it welcomes Santa Clara and San Francisco on Nov. 14 and 16.
The San Francisco match will be Senior Day for the Gaels, with Shaw, Graven and Sarah Reams playing their next to last match at McKeon Pavilion. Tickets for all remaining home contests can be purchased by clicking the Tickets link on SMCGaels.com or by calling the SMC Athletic Ticket Office at (925) 631-GoTx.
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