Moraga, Calif. – After dropping the first set, Saint Mary's did not let off the accelerator, taking the next three sets to defeat Santa Clara 3-1 in the regular-season finale.

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
 • SET ONE | Both sides were neck-and-neck in the opening set and things were tied as late as 15-15. However, the Broncos began to build some separation, taking the next four points to lead 19-15.  SCU eventually made it match point while the Gaels still trailed by six. SMC fought off a pair of set points, but the Broncos eventually took the set 25-20.
 
• SET TWO | Looking to make a statement, Saint Mary's quickly built themselves a 6-2 lead. SCU pulled within two (10-12), but once the score read 14-11 SMC, the Gaels went on a dominant streak of seven straight points with senior Sarah Chase leading the way, serving six of said points. During that time, redshirt sophomore Aubrey Pitts collected three kills and a block assist. Saint Mary's won four of the next seven points to take the set 25-14.
 
• SET THREE | The Gaels came out strong once again in the third set despite a tight opening few points. SMC eventually pulled away with another 7-point run. The streak once again featured Chase as the server who delivered three aces during that span. With the score now 17-9 with Saint Mary's in the lead, the Gaels went on to win 25-20 despite a late run by the Broncos.
 
• SET FOUR | The fourth and final period was another closely-contested set as SMC only held a 1-point lead when it was 14-13. However, that was the closest Santa Clara came to catching the Gaels as they took six of the next seven points to lead 20-14. SCU fought back, but Saint Mary's ultimately prevailed 25-22 to win the set and match.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
 
• Chase had a big night, amassing 15 kills, 15 digs, and a season-high, five service aces.
 
• Pitts came up with a season-high, nine kills on the night, hitting .533 with three block assists.
 
• Alexsa "Crash" Parker collected two more service aces on Tuesday night to break the program record for service aces in a season. Parker now has 46 aces on the year (110 sets) which takes over the top spot previously held by Missy White (45 - 111 sets) which was set in 2011.
 
• The Gaels' record now stands at 19-9, 11-7 WCC which is the team's best record since 2010 when the they went 20-8 overall.
 
QUOTABLE
 
"Thank goodness for Sarah Chase because she was 'on' from the first point and really carried us for a while," said head coach Rob Browning. "That was huge for us as we were not playing at the top of our game. We really needed someone to step up and that was Sarah tonight."
 
"We didn't play particularly well in the first set, so my mentality was to go out there, be aggressive, and inject some energy where I could," said Chase. "In the second through fourth sets, we tried to connect together as a team which helped us pull it out. It's really special for us and especially the seniors to have a chance to make it to the NCAA tournament. We've gone out there and have done what's in our control and now it is up to the committee to decide if we're up to task."

UP NEXT
 
Saint Mary's will return home from Thanksgiving to continue practicing with the hope that they will be selected to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. The selection show will take place on Sunday, November 25 at 5:30 p.m. PT on ESPNU.