MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's continues their homestand this week as they take on the Pepperdine Waves and the Loyola Marymount Lions.
Match #22
Saint Mary's Gaels (16-5, 8-3 WCC) vs. Pepperdine (15-7, 9-3 WCC)
Thursday, November 1, 2018 at 7 p.m.
Moraga, Calif. — McKeon Pavilion
Live Stats
Watch
Match #23
Saint Mary's Gaels (16-5, 8-3 WCC) vs. LMU (17-6, 7-5 WCC)
Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 1 p.m.
Moraga, Calif. — McKeon Pavilion
Live Stats
Watch
SCOUTING REPORT
Saint Mary's is coming into the week following a dominant match against the Pacific Tigers last Friday. The Gaels swept the Tigers 3-0 and kept their hitting percentage to just .113, which is the lowest recorded by any opponent all year. The team also won two out of the three sets by margins equal to or greater than eight points.
The Gaels are ranked 33rd in the NCAA RPI poll while BYU (3rd) is the only WCC team ranked above them. Saint Mary's is ranked fourth in the conference behind BYU, San Diego, and Pepperdine.
Junior Alex O'Sullivan has been a major defensive component in the last few weeks for the Gaels; after collecting five blocks in the match against Pacific, O'Sullivan is now two away from her 300th career block and has 96 so far this season.
Alexsa "Crash" Parker has also been a key player for the Gaels' program this season as she continues to collect service aces game-after-game. Parker is now six away from tying the program record of 128 career service aces. She has 37 aces this year and her game-high is six during the match against Nevada.
PEPPERDINE
The Pepperdine Waves enter McKeon Pavilion with a 15-7 overall record and a they are 9-3 in the WCC. Pepperdine is currently ranked third in the conference (just above SMC) and they are coming off a 3-0 sweep of San Francisco last weekend.
Junior Hannah Frohling leads the Waves in both kills (238) and service aces (30) and has the third highest hitting percentage on the team (.286). Tarah Wylie is hitting a .347 this season which is the team-high, followed closely by Rachel Ahrens (.312). The Lions are hitting .257 as a team which has them ranked 30th in the nation.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
The LMU Lions have a record of 17-6, a WCC record of 7-5, and are ranked fifth in the conference. LMU is coming off a close, 3-2 win over Santa Clara last weekend and will play Pacific on Thursday ahead of their match against Saint Mary's on Saturday.
Stat leaders for the Lions include Sara Kovac with 306 kills, followed closely by Savannah Slattery (285). Junior Tess Reid leads the team in assists per set (12.10) and is currently ranked third in the nation while the team as a whole is ranked sixth (13.83). The Lions as a team are ranked 12th in the nation in hitting percentage with a .277 clip.
