PORTLAND, Ore. – Saint Mary's quickly found themselves in an 0-2 hole on Thursday night, but the Gaels refused to be denied, coming all the way back to win the match 3-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
 • SET ONE | Set one was back-and-forth throughout as the Gaels and Pilots were tied as late as 19-19. Portland went on a late run to take a 23-19 lead and Saint Mary's could not recover as UP won the set 25-22
 
• SET TWO | Looking to bounce back after the opening set, Saint Mary's jumped out to an early, 6-2 lead. The Gaels continued to hold their advantage despite the Pilots coming within one point on multiple occasions. SMC gained some separation with a 20-17 lead, but UP came all the way back to tie the set at 23 points apiece. Portland tied the score once again at 24-24 and controlled the remainder of the set, winning 27-25.  
 
• SET THREE | Portland immediately jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third set, but the Gaels quickly responded to cut the deficit to two (4-2). Saint Mary's continued to claw from behind and eventually took their first lead of the period when they went up 8-7. UP responded with three-consecutive points, but SMC tied things up once again at 10 points apiece and ultimately took a 12-10 lead. Their 4-point streak turned into an impressive, 13-1 run and the Gaels took a 21-11 advantage. Saint Mary's held on to win set No. 3 25-17.
 
• SET FOUR |The fourth set started off neck-and-neck with the score knotted at 7-7 after 14 points had been scored. SMC eventually took a 4-point, 11-7 lead and then a 6-point, 15-9 advantage. Saint Mary's remained in control for the rest of the set which included a 9-point lead (20-11). Saint Mary's went on to win the set 25-16 to force a fifth and decisive period.
 
• SET FIVE | Saint Mary's came out strong in set No. 5, winning each of the first five points. The Gaels continued their dominance and would not be denied of their comeback, taking the fifth set 15-10 to win the match 3-2.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
 
• Three Gaels recorded double-digit kills on Thursday night including: Breyan Ashley with career-highs in both kills (15) and digs (seven) while Sienna Young (.407 hitting, two blocks, three digs) and Lindsey Calvin (three digs) put up 11 and 10 kills respectively.
 
• Sarah Chase had a dominant outing, posting nine kills and a season-high, 26 digs. Chase also collected four blocks and an assist.
 
• With the win, Saint Mary's has swept the season series with the UP for the first time since 2015.
 
• The Gaels have now won nine conference matches which is the most since 2013 when SMC defeated WCC opponents 13 times.
 
QUOTABLE
 
"Tonight was an awesome display of grit by the Gaels," said head coach Rob Browning. "We were in a hole, but you could really feel that the team had things under control. The last three sets of the match we outplayed them significantly. Portland is a good team, but we just needed to stay within ourselves and play our game. We continually got better as the match went on. It was very much a team effort and everybody contributed to this win."

UP NEXT
 
Saint Mary's will play their final road match of the regular season on Saturday as they head to Gonzaga for a 12:00 p.m. PT first serve in Provo, Utah.

#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.