Leading up to the kickoff of the 2018 season, SMCGaels.com will take a daily look at the Saint Mary's volleyball team, going class by class.
 
MORAGA, Calif. — One of the largest recruiting classes in recent memory comes to campus in 2018 for the Saint Mary's volleyball team, as six freshmen hit the court for the Gaels this fall, adding talent, depth and energy to the team.
 
The freshman class boasts diversity in itself, with players from four different states playing three different positions. The newcomers come from as nearby as Dublin and as far off as Pukalani, Hawaii.
 
"It's a great class," said Saint Mary's head coach Rob Browning. "They've been working really hard. They've impressed us for sure, and they came in prepared, which was really important. Physically and also knowing technical stuff we want them to do, so that's really helpful."
 
Youth has featured prominently for the Gaels in recent years. SMC relied on four freshmen and two sophomores to start in 2015, with the same group playing a majority of the time in 2016 as sophomores and juniors. The Gaels had just two freshmen in 2017, so this year's class represents another powerful injection of fresh blood for the program.
 
"We expect some of them to make an impact right away," said Browning. "All of them are doing a good job, and they will for sure provide depth."
 
Take a closer look at each newcomer below:
 
Breyan Ashley | Outside Hitter | 5-11 | Dublin, Calif. | Dublin HS | #1

• Dominant outside hitter for nearby Dublin (Calif.) High School, twice named first team all-East Bay League as a junior and senior.
   
• Had at least 340 kills in all three of her varsity years, including going over the 520-mark in each of her last two seasons.
   
• Also had more than 50 service aces in each of her final two high school seasons and totaled nearly 200 blocks during those two years.
   
• On getting used to the college game
  "You have to have mental toughness (to play college volleyball). I think it's been kind of tough, and Rob is a stickler on a lot of things, but you have to be really adamant about the things you do and pay attention to everything he wants you to do. But once you let it enter your game, you play so much better. It really does make you so much better.
  
  "It's different from anything any of us have ever experienced. The support is actually ridiculous. Saint Mary's is different. Everyone and anyone across this campus will say, 'Hi,' to you and smile and be genuine about it."
   
• Working with fellow freshmen
  I had a really tough time implementing the footwork and changing my platform and changing the entire way that I play, and Chandler really helped me put a smile on my face. I was really in my head and she helped pull me out of it.
  
  "I come to (Kelsey Knudsen) with a bunch of questions about passing because she's an amazing passer. She makes it so much easier. She reminds you, 'Just keep it simple.'"

Selbie Christensen | Outside Hitter | 6-2 | Keizer, Ore. | South Salem HS | #4

• A three-time all-league player at South Salem High School in Keizer, Ore., including being named the Greater Valley League Player of the Year her senior season
   
• Multi-faceted player, posting over 360 kills in back-to-back seasons while also logging more than 200 digs in consecutive years.
   
• Getting acclimated to the team
  "We never really had to try and fit in. We were never alienated and it's super easy to get to know everyone. Since the first day it's felt like we were on the team for a year."
   
• Goals for 2018
  "I just want to get better as a player. The environment we're in is not lke anything else we've experienced. We just have so much support, and I feel like the players on this team and the coaches on this team have so much knowledge and critique to give us, that no matter how our season goes, we all just want to get better."

Kelsey Knudsen | Libero | 5-8 | Santa Clarita, Calif. | Valencia HS | #16

• Named Foothill League Player of the Year as a senior at Valencia High School (Santa Clarita, Calif.) in the fall of 2016, which followed a 2015 first team all-league honor.
   
• Collected 400 or more digs as a junior and senior at Valencia High.
   
• Debuted with the Gaels on the beach last spring, going 12-14 individually. She and teammate Lindsey Calvin beat nationally ranked Loyola Marymount three times during the year.
   
• Helping the freshmen class with her spring experience
  "Abby (Matoso) is probably the easiest example because we're the same position, because I had spring indoor training but it was only a couple days. But just coming in with that base knowledge, because I knew not everyone had that because we all play different games where we come from. So bringing that in, I would tell Abby, 'Hey, keep your platform straighter or get it out sooner,' just the things I know the coaches want, too, that I'm working on."

Chandler Cowell | Outside Hitter | 5-10 | Pukalani, Hawai'i | King Kekaulike HS | #19

• An all-state, four-time letterwinner at state power King Kekaulike High School in Hawai'i, where she was twice named all-Maui Interscholastic League and earned three different state level awards in 2016.
   
• Helped her team win three straight league titles from 2014-16 and make the Final Four of the Hawai'i state championship in 2016.
   
• On bonding with her classmates
  "Our freshmen class, we're already sisters. From the moment we looked at each other we were like, 'Yup.' Coming where I'm from (Hawai'i), I already feel the sense of 'Ohana' (family) already there, and it's been really nice already being accepted. Not only by the older girls but the other freshmen who are going through the exact same thing, they never make you feel alone in it."
   
• Getting help from Kelsey Knudsen, the 'experienced' freshman
  "One thing that Kelsey does, since she's a part of our freshman class, she helps stabilize us. Because although she's still new to indoor, she knows the team, so she really helps stabilize us with making us feel confident in ourselves."

Alosina Thompson | Setter | Layton, Utah | Northridge HS | #22

• Four-year letterwinner at Northridge High School in Layton, Utah, earning first team all-region and team Most Valuable Player honors for two straight years as a junior and senior.
   
• As an outside hitter, she hit an outstanding .423 with 228 kills in 2017 while helping Northridge High finish sixth at the state championship tournament.
   
• The program's supportive culture
  "What I noticed when we first started is the support on the team is crazy. From the coaches, the team, everyone, (athletic trainer) Jesse (Purcell), the support within the school for our team is crazy."

Abigail Matoso | Defensive Specialist | Oakdale, Calif. | Oakdale HS | #23

• A two-time all-league player for Oakdale (Calif.) High School who earned Best Defensive Player and MVP awards on her team during her career.
   
• Had 170 kills, 129 digs and nearly 50 service aces in just her first year of varsity as a sophomore.
   
• Adjusting to the college game
  "We have double practices every day, so (preseason training) has been really tiring physically and emotionally, but I can see everyone get better. We've talked a lot about grit and having to push through."