Final Stats

SAN DIEGO -- The Saint Mary's women's volleyball team faced its seventh top-15 ranked opponent of the year Thursday and once again played competitively, but it was the No. 13 San Diego Toreros that came out on top with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-23) West Coast Conference sweep at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Gaels (7-16, 3-10 WCC) didn't let San Diego (18-4, 11-1 WCC) out of their sights for most of the first set. Only once did USD pull ahead by more than two points with a 5-0 run to break a 9-9 tie. But the Gaels answered back with a 6-1 stretch to tie it at 15-15.
  
  
• The Toreros closed the first set on a 6-1 run to pull away from SMC when it was 19-18. Two kills and an ace from Kaity Edwards helped put USD up 1-0. Teammate Jayden Kennedy had three kills early in set two to put San Diego up 6-2 early en route to growing a big 23-13 lead and a 25-18 set win to go up 2-0 in the set.
  
  
• Refusing to go down quietly, the Gaels hit .324 in the third set while taking a 13-11 lead. SMC still led the set 17-16 after a USD error, but a 7-2 sprint by the Toreros put them on the verge of clinching the match at 23-19. Saint Mary's made it 24-23 before finally succumbing.

• Sienna Young and Morgan Hughes both had nine kills to lead SMC. Young hit a team-best .409 while Hughes hit .353.
  
  
• Alexsa "Crash" Parker posted another double-double, tallying 16 assists and 10 digs. Mary Hernandez added 14 assists.
  
  
• USD's Kennedy led all players with 15 kills. Edwards hit a match-best .688 with 11 kills and no errors.

• Saint Mary's travels to Provo, Utah, on Saturday to face No. 10 BYU. SMC's three-match road trip concludes next week at Pacific on Nov. 11.