MORAGA, Calif. – The Gaels made quick work of the match on Friday night, sweeping the Tigers to improve their home record to a perfect, 8-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• SET ONE | The Gaels started strong on Friday night and took control with an early, 5-point lead that they held for most of the period. At the first time out, Saint Mary's was atop Pacific with a 12-5 advantage, and managed to stay at least four points ahead of the Tigers for the rest of the set. The Gaels went on to win 25-13 and kept the Tigers to a hitting percentage of .000 through the first period.

• SET TWO | The two teams traded points back-and-forth through the second and stayed within one point of each other for most of the set. Pacific took a small lead late in the period, but the Gaels were able to keep the match tight and bring it back to win 25-23.

• SET THREE | The Tigers and the Gaels kept it close during the beginning of the third set with Pacific holding a 12-8 lead over Saint Mary's at the first timeout. Following the break, the Gaels took control the momentum and tied the set 13-13. Shortly after tying the match, Saint Mary's went on an 8-point run and took back the lead from the Tigers. The rest was history as Saint Mary's went on to win the set 25-17 and complete the sweep of Pacific

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The Gaels held the Tigers to a hitting percentage of just .113, which is the lowest hitting percentage recorded by an opponent all season.

• Junior Alex O'Sullivan collected five blocks on Friday night and is now two away from a total of 300 in her career.

• Sarah Chase led the Gaels in kills with 11, while Lindsey Calvin, Lindsey Knudsen, and Jennifer "Boo" Laird all collected eight in total.

QUOTABLE

"The best thing about our team is that we stay calm, consistent, and together as unit," said Laird. "We are known as a 'fifth set team' because we always come back, no matter how much we're down by. We always trust each other, whether we're down by five or six, no one has a doubt. Even when we were down tonight, it felt like we were winning by 20 and that's the best chemistry that you could have. It's a very long season, but it's good to have the momentum of these games behind you. Being able to feel the chemistry of our team is the most important thing. If there is any disconnect, it makes the season feel long, but because we have had such good chemistry this season, it has felt short and fun."

"They have a lot of trust between themselves and I think it starts there," said head coach Rob Browning. "They have a lot of faith and trust in their training, they've put in a lot of time in to be good and they know it. If they can stay calm, they know things will be ok. I think certainly think it's good to feel good about yourself going into any match, but we really believe in the "one match at a time" philosophy. Our last match doesn't matter and you can't worry about what is next. We really focus on what is in front of us and being great each day. If we can do that, then we'll be ready for our next match. We have a couple of tough matches coming up, but we're as ready as we can be."

UP NEXT

The Gaels continue their three-game homestand next week with a match against Pepperdine on Thursday, November 1 at 7 p.m. and a match on Saturday at 1 p.m. versus LMU.

#GaelsRise – For ticket information to all home volleyball matches, call the SMC Ticket Office today at 925-631-4689 or click the ticket link here to purchase your seats now.