MORAGA, Calif. – McKeon Pavilion was electric on Thursday night as the Gaels hosted the Nevada Wolf Pack for an exciting night of volleyball. Saint Mary's went back and forth with Nevada all night, as SMC took sets one and three while Nevada took sets two and four. The fifth set had the crowd on their feet as Saint Mary's fought from behind to take the fifth set and beat out the Wolf Pack.

Lindsey Calvin and Lindsey Knudsen led the offense and created a dominant night for the Gaels; Calvin posted a .324 hitting percentage while Knudsen recorded 19 kills.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 started off close between the two teams and remained that way for a majority of the match. However, after a time out by Nevada late in the set, Saint Mary's took control and won the first match 25-21. Calvin had a productive first set, recording a hitting percentage of .429.

The second set was even closer than the first, with the Gaels and the Wolf Pack trading points back and forth through its entirety. Momentum shifted in favor of Nevada late in the set as Saint Mary's was up 24-21. However, the Wolf Pack went on a 5-point-run to take the lead and win the set 26-24.

Saint Mary's kept Nevada close again in set 3, until the Wolf Pack took control of a 4-point lead during the middle of the set. The Gaels got fired up and battled back to tie the match 20-20, with Lindsey Calvin recording a lot of key points. Saint Mary's remained in control of the energy after a late time out by Nevada and returned to the court to score the match point and win the set 25-23.

Set 4 was a struggle for the Gaels as the Wolf Pack led for the majority of the time by two or three points. A late surge saw Saint Mary's come back from a 4-point deficit, however it wasn't enough to hold off the Wolf Pack and Nevada took the fourth set 25-22.

Nevada took the momentum from their set 4 win into the beginning of the fifth set and at one point had Saint Mary's down 10-5. The Gaels weren't down for long however, as they tied it up 11-11 shortly after. After tying the match, Saint Mary's hit their stride and went on to take the final set 15-13 and win the night three sets to two.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Setter Alexsa "Crash" Parker led the team in assists with 36, as well as recorded 10 digs and 6 aces.
• Senior Lindsey Knudsen took control of the offense and posted a .432 hitting percentage on the night.

QUOTABLE
"What a comeback," said head coach Rob Browning. "This was a very impressive finish by our team. We scrapped and fought for every point and we really worked hard to finish it. Our execution was inconsistent for much of the match, but Nevada presented a great defense. They are a well-coached team and they brought it tonight. However, I am most proud of how our team stuck together. There was never any fissure in their cohesiveness and in the end, we had enough players doing one or two things well enough to pull us through."

UP NEXT
The Gaels will look to extend their six-game winning streak when they host the Cal Bears on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 3 p.m. at McKeon Pavilion. Afterwards, they will bwgin conference play, hitting the road to take on San Diego on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.

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