VB | Gaels Unveil Challenging 2015 Schedule
6/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
MORAGA, Calif. -- With a roster comprised almost entirely of freshmen and sophomores, the Saint Mary's volleyball team might have a little learning to do in the first few weeks of the 2015 season.
But, just because the faces are new doesn't mean Gaels coach Rob Browning is planning on scaling back the level of competition. On Friday, Browning announced a 2015 schedule that should deliver plenty of good volleyball while at the same time getting his team ready for what is sure to be another ultra-competitive West Coast Conference campaign.
The season starts August 28 and 29 in Southern California as Saint Mary's takes part in a tournament hosted by Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton. The Gaels, 49ers and Titans will be joined by Duke in an opening two-day competition that includes two teams (Long Beach and Duke) that ended 2014 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) top 25.
Saint Mary's makes its 2015 home debut on Sept. 4 and 5 when it welcomes Fresno State, Bethune-Cookman and St. John's to McKeon Pavilion for a tournament of its own. The Gaels and Bulldogs meet on Friday at 6 p.m. in SMC's home opener and the Gaels will play both Bethune-Cookman and St. John's the next day.
Things only get tougher for the Gaels the following weekend when they head to Seattle for tournament action against Washington, Ohio State and CSUN. The Huskies feature first-year head coach and former Gaels assistant Keegan Cook after finishing No. 9 in last year's final poll while the Buckeyes are also a returning top-15 team from a year ago.
Non-conference play wraps up on Sept. 18 and 19 in the Bay Area as Saint Mary's hits the road to take on local rivals California and Stanford. The Bears visited McKeon Pavilion last season and emerged with a win while SMC last faced Stanford in 2013 in an entertaining match at Maples Pavilion.
"We are excited for the challenging season that lies ahead. We will have a very young team and will be playing a steady stream of strong, experienced teams," Browning said. "Our pre-conference season includes matches against three tough Pac-12 teams, Washington, Stanford and Cal, as well as a couple of other great programs like Duke and Long Beach State. We are very excited to host a quality tournament with Fresno State, St. John's, and Bethune-Cookman."
Those matches will serve as the final tune-ups for WCC play, which begins on Sept. 24 and 26 at Portland and Gonzaga. Santa Clara comes to Moraga on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. for the first home conference match of the year before the Gaels head to Malibu for matches against Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount.
The second weekend in October will be a key one for Saint Mary's as always-tough San Diego and 2014 national runner-up BYU visits McKeon Pavilion. It also kicks off a long stretch in the Bay Area as visits to Pacific, San Francisco and Santa Clara set the stage for a home weekend against LMU and Pepperdine to close out the month. The Gaels then travel to BYU and San Diego before coming home to finish the regular season with matches against Pacific, Gonzaga, Portland and San Francisco.
"The West Coast Conference will be as tough as ever," Browning said. "The level has risen steadily over the years, especially from the bottom. There used to be one or maybe two teams who you could expect to beat, but that's not the case any more; there are no gimmes and most matches are against solid tournament-quality teams. But, that's why we love the WCC."
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VB | Tyler Hildebrand Presser, 10-21-25
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VB | Tyler Hildebrand Presser, 10-13-25
Monday, October 13
VB | Highlights vs. Santa Clara, 10-11-25
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