OMAHA, Neb. – After falling behind two sets to none, Saint Mary's volleyball battled back to win a tightly contested third period. The fourth set was no different as the Gaels only trailed by one in the set's final points. However, No. 22 Washington ultimately prevailed, winning the match by the score of 3-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
 • SET ONE | Both sides traded points through the opening set's first 10 points with the Huskies leading 6-4. However, a pair of SMC blocks fueled a 3-0 run which tied the contest at seven points apiece. After the set was tied at eight, Washington went on a 6-1 streak to build a 14-9 advantage. The Gaels and Huskies traded every point until the score read 18-13. SMC came within two points at 19-17 and tied the match at 20-20. UW took the next three points, but the Gaels came right back with two of their own to make it 23-22. However, the Huskies took the next two points to take the first set 25-22.
 
• SET TWO | Washington took four of the first five points and led 10-5 after 15 points had been played. The Gaels scored six of the next 10 points to pull with four (14-10), but the Huskies remained in control, taking a 20-12 lead. Saint Mary's took a point after taking a timeout and fought off three set points, but UW went on to take the set 25-17.
 
• SET THREE | Washington took the opening three points of the third set, but SMC came back with a 3-0 run of their own to tie the score 3-3. The Huskies returned the favor with a 5-0 stretch, putting the Gaels in an 8-4 hole. Saint Mary's battled back with yet another run however, putting four unanswered points on the board to make it 8-8. SMC took three of the next four points to lead 11-9, but UW knotted the score at 11 points apiece moments later. Both sides battled back-and-forth, but the Gaels built a 2-point cushion with a 14-12 advantage. The Huskies came back to tie the match once again (15-15) and regained the advantage with a 17-15 score. Washington clung on to their 2-point lead and led 22-19 at one point, but an SMC timeout led to 2-consecutive Gael points to bring them within one (22-21). The Gaels tied the match at 23-23 and UW was forced to take a timeout. A long rally ended with a Husky point, but SMC came right back with a kill from senior Sarah Chase. A kill by senior Lindsey Calvin and an ace by Chase sealed the third-set win for SMC by the score of 26-24.
 
• SET FOUR | Saint Mary's rode their momentum into the fourth set, winning each of the first five points to force the Huskies to take a timeout. UW responded, using a 7-1 run to take their first lead of the set (10-9), but SMC came right back with a pair of points to regain the lead (11-10). The points went back-and-forth, but the Gaels still held a lead with the score at 14-13. However, UW took the next three points to lead 16-14 and Saint Mary's went down by 3, 20-17, but brought it to within one point (20-19) after a successful challenge by head coach Rob Browning. Nevertheless, the Huskies took the next three points to make it 23-19. SMC fought back with three points to cut the deficit back to one point, 23-22, but Washington won the final two points to take the set 25-22 and the match 3-1.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
 
• Calvin registered 12 kills in the contest while hitting at a .391 clip. 12 kills are the most for Calvin since hosting USF on September 25.
 
• Chase also put together 12 kills in the contest while adding six digs, four blocks, and an assist. She ended the season with double-digit kills in 11 of her last 13 matches. Her four blocks were the most since November 15 against BYU and she registered at least one block in each of her last 17 matches.
 
• Junior Sienna Young hit .471 on the night and contributed 11 kills, three digs, and one block. Her kills and digs are the most since playing at Portland on November 8 and her hitting percentage was the highest she has produced all season.
 
• As a team, Saint Mary's produced 12 service aces which is tied for their season-high (also against San Francisco on September 25) and it is tied for the second-most in any 4-set match in program-history.
 
 
QUOTABLE
 
"We didn't have a special strategy today," said Browning. "We embrace the philosophy of 'Go and do what you were trained to do.' We are a good serving team, so we know that if we can serve the way that we train, good things will happen. To their credit, Washington shored up their receiving at the end of the match: we kept hitting good serves and they didn't allow us to get as many aces which helped make the difference for them."
 
"For us seniors, we started at the bottom of the conference our freshman year," said Chase. "But every year, we've gotten better and better, and this year, we really came together as a unit."
 
"It has been an absolute honor to be a part of this program," said Knudsen. "These are really special girls and you're going to see a lot from this team in the coming years."
 
"I'm not surprised at all that our four seniors led the team to the tournament," said Browning. "They have always worked hard and have epitomized what it means to be a student-athlete. They are outstanding students, fantastic athletes, and they represent our team really well. I am extremely proud of our team this year and I knew that they could have a season like this."
 
Saint Mary's closes the books with one of their most successful seasons in program history. The Gaels posted a 19-10 overall, and an 11-7 WCC record to reach the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time since the program's inception in 1987.