Match #23
Saint Mary's Gaels (8-14, WCC 4-8) vs. Portland Pilots (11-11, WCC 3-8)
Thursday, November 7, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.
Moraga, Calif. — McKeon Pavilion
Live Stats 
Watch

Match #24
Saint Mary's Gaels (8-14, WCC 4-8) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-16, WCC 1-10)
Saturday, November 9, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. 
Moraga, Calif. — McKeon Pavilion
Live Stats 
Watch 

MORAGA, Calif. – The Gaels return to Moraga this week for their final homestand of the season as they look to face off against Portland and Gonzaga.

SCOUTING REPORT
Saint Mary's had a difficult time roadtrip last week as they fell in straight sets to No.11 BYU and then took a 3-1 loss against San Diego. However, there were standout performances that highlighted the week on the road. Senior Aubrey Pitts had her best performance of the season on Saturday against the Toreros as she recorded a new season-high in kills (11) and block solos (3). Over the course of the two matches, Pitts collected 12 kills, three block solos, seven block assists, and 18.5 points. For the third week in a row, she remains ranked second in the conference (24th nationally) with an average of 1.34 blocks per set. She also holds the team-high 85 blocks by a margin of 27, as senior Alex O'Sullivan is the closest with 58.

SMC remained among the conference category-leaders this week as they are ranked third in the WCC in total team blocks (181) just behind BYU (190.5). Alexsa "Crash" Parker also continues her dominance as the leader in service aces per set (0.49) which has her ranked 20th in the country and first in the conference. Parker is also second in the WCC (30th in the nation) in total aces on the season with 36. Redshirt freshman Kelsey Knudsen has also made her way into the rankings this week as she is eighth in the West Coast Conference with a total of 253 digs this year.

Saturday's match against the Bulldogs will also include a special pre-match ceremony to recognize the seniors that will be graduating in the Spring. Parker, O'Sullivan, Pitts, Sienna Young and assistant coach Albert Ahedo are the members of the program that will be honored prior to first serve. For tickets to either of this week's matches, click here.

PORTLAND
The Pilots have an even record of 11-11 this season and they are 3-8 in conference play. Portland has dropped their last two matches after being swept by Pepperdine following a four set loss to Loyola Marymount. The Pilots have dropped four out of their last six contests including a loss on October 12 to the Gaels during their first matchup of the season. Their only conference wins have come against Gonzaga, USF, and Pacific, but the wins against the Dons and the Tigers were close as they both went to five sets. Prior to their win against Pacific, UP was on a five-match losing streak including four consecutive losses to WCC opponents. Saint Mary's holds the advantage all-time against the Pilots (36-26) and the Gaels have won the last three matchups in a row versus Portland dating back to last season.

GONZAGA
The Bulldogs have had a tough time through the last month of competition as they are 7-16 overall with a conference record of 1-10. During their last contest, they recorded a four-set victory over the LMU Tigers which was their first WCC win of the season and their first win since September 13 which snapped a 15-match losing streak. While Gonzaga had a hot start to their season going 7-1, they were unable to keep the hot-streak up and did not win a single match in the month of October. The Bulldogs have been swept eight times this year, six of which came in consecutive matches spanning from September 20 against Nevada to October 5 versus Pepperdine. The Gaels hold the all-time record over Gonzaga (35-27) with SMC winning three of the last four matches since the 2017 season.

 #GaelsRise