MORAGA, Calif. –  Saint Mary's completed their fifth sweep of the season on Saturday against San Diego. The seniors also came up big in order to take the win over the second place team in the conference.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• SET ONE | The Gaels pulled out to an early, three-point lead on Saturday afternoon against the Toreros. Saint Mary's continued to remain ahead of San Diego with a three-to-four-point lead through most of the set. The Gaels held their opponents to a hitting percentage of just .078 in the first set compared to their .214 and went on to win 25-20.

• SET TWO | San Diego took the first few points of the second period, but Saint Mary's went on 7-1 run to regain the lead and the momentum. The Gaels and the Toreros traded point for most of the set until the Toreros tied it 16-16 and took a timeout shortly after. The two teams battled during the final moments of the set and the Gaels went on to win 27-25.

• SET THREE | Saint Mary's and San Diego went point-for-point through the majority of the third. Neither team led by more than three points during the entire set and the majority of the contest was spent tied. The Gaels got hot when it mattered most and took control of key points to close out the match with a 25-22 win to sweep the Toreros .

QUOTABLE
"I have so much gratitude to have been a part of this program for four years," said senior Lindsey Knudsen. "This really is such a special place and it's an honor that makes me emotional to think about. We came out of the second set and said 'Let's make a statement and lets send this team home in three sets.' "

"We had to fight for this win, for sure." said coach Rob Browning. "I don't think you can truly measure how much today means for the seniors. They have put so much into the team and the program; they're really the ideal student-athletes and representatives for both the team and the college. We were determined today and you could see it in their faces and in their eyes that we were going to get the win."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The Gaels had a hitting percentage of .322 compared to the Toreros who hit .217.
• Seniors Knudsen (12 kills, 10 digs) and Sarah Chase (11 kills, 11 digs) both collected double-doubles.
• Senior Emily Bible collected three aces during Saturday's match.
• With the win against San Diego, the Gaels now have five sweeps this season.
• Senior Lindsey Calvin and junior Aubrey Pitts led the team with three blocks apiece.

UP NEXT
The Gaels will play their final regular season game of the year on Tuesday against Santa Clara at 7 p.m.

#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.