Final Stats

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Saint Mary's women's volleyball team fell Saturday in a tough, five-set match at Santa Clara, as they battled against the Broncos' high-powered offense in a 3-2 (18-25, 25-21,10-25, 26-24,13-15) West Coast Conference defeat at Leavey Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Saint Mary's (6-14, 2-8 WCC) was sluggish out of the gate as Santa Clara (10-12, 3-7 WCC) outhit the Gaels .280 to -.030 in set one, en route to a 25-18 victory.
  
  
• Saint Mary's and Santa Clara (10-12, 3-7 WCC) battled back and forth in the second set, with the Gaels led by Alex O'Sullivan, Lindsey Calvin, and Sienna Young. After the fifth tie of the set, Lindsey Knudsen powered the Gaels ahead with three consecutive kills and seven total in the set to even the match with a 25-21 set win.
  
  
• The third set was controlled by Santa Clara, who led the whole way. The Broncos were led by hitters Jensen Cunningham, Michelle Gajdka and Hailey Lindberg, who all helped SCU run away with a 25-10 set victory.
  
  
• With 14 ties and four lead changes in set four, the battle did not end for SMC. Santa Clara committed several errors in the beginning, as Morgan Hughes, Knudsen, Calvin, and Jennifer "Boo" Laird took charge with balanced attacks to keep the set tied for more than half the frame. After a smash hit from Hughes, she got the Gaels' offense going with a quick 4-0 run that included three straight errors from the Broncos.
  
  
• SMC trailed most of the final set by only two points, but Cunningham dominated offensively with four kills, including the final point of the match, to seal the win.

• Knudsen had an impressive performance, recording her second double-double of the season with 13 kills and 20 digs.
  
  
• Lindsey Calvin posted the Gaels' second-most kills with 12 and hit a team-best .294.
  
  
• Cunningham and Gajdka carried Santa Clara with a match-best 20 kills apiece, with Cunningham hitting a team-best of .351. Chloe Loreen also led Santa Clara with a double-double of 15 kills and 25 digs.

• Saint Mary's will host a two-match home stand next week against Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Tickets are available for purchase on SMCGaels.com or by calling the SMC Ticket Office at (925) 631-GoTx.