SALT LAKE CITY – After falling to Utah in the season's opening match, Saint Mary's came roaring back to sweep Cal Poly, upsetting the No. 23-ranked team in the country.
 
GAME ONE: SMC 0, Utah 3
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

 • SET ONE | The Gaels led for half of the season's opening set and kept close throughout, trailing by just four points on two occasions (21-17 and 24-20). Senior Sienna Young led SMC with four kills in the first period, followed by sophomore Breyan Ashley who collected three along with a .429 hitting percentage. Saint Mary's also collected three blocks including two from senior Aubrey Pitts.
 
• SET TWO | SMC trailed 8-4 early on, but took four straight points and five of six to tie the match at nine. The Gaels kept things close, tying the score at 12 points apiece and took a 13-12 lead on the next point. After a service error, SMC took the next three points to lead 16-13. Back-and-forth points kept things close, but the Gaels remained ahead until Utah managed to tie the score at 18-18. The Utes pulled ahead and took a two-point, 21-19 lead, but the Gaels came back to tie the match at 24-24 after fighting off two set points which was highlighted by a block solo from Pitts. However, the Utes went on to win the next two points to take the set 26-24.  
 
• SET THREE |Saint Mary's took an early, 5-3 lead in the third set, but a couple of Utah runs made it 11-7 Utes. Utah continued to lead and went up 15-10 before SMC scored four-unanswered points to cut the deficit to one (15-14). The Gaels kept within one point until the Utes took a 19-16 advantage which they eventually pushed to 21-16. Utah went on to win the set 25-18.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
 
1: Sophomore Abigail "Abby" Matoso collected the first service ace of her career in the second set
7: Freshman Elena Baka amassed seven kills in her collegiate debut
11: Both Young and Ashley led the Gaels with 11 kills apiece
14: No. of total blocks for SMC (their most since September 28, 2018 at Pacific)
 
GAME TWO: SMC 3, No. 23 Cal Poly 0
 
• SET ONE | The Gaels jumped out to an early lead in the opening set, taking a 7-4 advantage. However, a 3-point run by the Mustangs tied the match at seven points apiece. The Gaels then took five of the next six points, building a 4-point, 12-8 lead and forcing Cal Poly to take a timeout. SMC continued to apply the pressure, extending their lead to five (14-9) and nine at 21-12. After Cal Poly took a timeout, the Gaels continued to dominate, taking four of the last five points to win the set 25-13. SMC hit .571 in the first set and was led by Pitts who had four kills and an .800 hitting percentage.
 
• SET TWO | SMC once again jumped out in front and led until the Mustangs tied things up at 8-8. The Gaels took four of the next five points to pull ahead 12-9, but Cal Poly went on a run of their own to tie the set at 13 points apiece. Nonetheless, Saint Mary's took control once again with an 19-15 advantage and went on to win the set 25-23 despite a late comeback from the Mustangs.
 
• SET THREE | Cal Poly went up 6-3 to begin the third set, but the Gaels fought back to tie the match 6-6 all while Baka was serving. SMC let their momentum roll as they took a two-point, 10-8 lead, but the Mustangs took two straight points to tie the set at 10-10. Saint Mary's responded with two points of their own to recapture their two-point lead and then a third-consecutive score made it 13-10. SMC's relentless energy helped the Gaels continue to dominate the remainder of the set and Saint Mary's went on to complete the sweep with 24-19 victory in the final period.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
 
.615: Pitts' hitting percentage in the match (highest by far for either side)
9: No. of kills for Pitts (ties her season-high from 2018).
.309/.084: SMC/Cal Poly's hitting percentages
2: second-straight year with a win over a ranked opponent in the Utah Volleyball Classic
11: Pitts now has 11 blocks in two games (six against Utah, five against Cal Poly)
11: No. of digs for Alexsa "Crash" Parker
10: No. of digs for Baka
 
QUOTABLE

"I like how our team bounced back after the loss earlier today to Utah," said head coach Rob Browning. "Cal Poly is a very good team, but we team sustained a really nice effort throughout and stayed focused, even when they picked up their game. Aubrey has worked really hard to get to where she is. She is a fantastic blocker and has a big arm, so I'm not surprised when she has a performance like she did tonight. I was also happy with our serving: Abby Matoso really put some pressure on them with her serve. We had a balanced attack, which is something that we can always rely on."

"The Cal Poly match was one of the best experiences I've ever had with my teammates" said Pitts. "We kept our energy high and kept our focus on the things we could control. We did a good job of learning from our first match against Utah and I'm excited to continue that throughout the season."

UP NEXT
 
The Gaels will play one more match in the Utah Volleyball Classic. On Saturday, they will take on No. 7-ranked Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. MT.

#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.