SAN FRANCISCO — Saint Mary's Volleyball heads back out on the road for two West Coast Conference matches this week, but they won't have to go far for either. The Gaels will play the winless Dons of San Francisco on Thursday night, and then have an afternoon contest with Santa Clara on Saturday. These are the final two road matches of the month of October for Saint Mary's.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (9-8, 3-5 WCC) vs. San Francisco Dons (0-16, 0-8 WCC)
Thursday, October 21 at 7:00 pm
War Memorial at the Sobrato Center – San Francisco
Watch Live | Live Stats
 
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Santa Clara Broncos (7-11, 3-5 WCC)
Saturday, October 23 at 1:00 pm
Leavey Center – Santa Clara, Calif.
Watch Live | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
After having time off to reset and refresh after dropping a pair of matches at home last weekend, Saint Mary's Volleyball returned to University Credit Union Pavilion for a rare Friday night WCC clash against the Pacific Tigers. The Gaels used that rest to their advantage, getting back one of their key attackers and looking like a recharged team. They never relinquished a set on their way to a 3-0 win over the Tigers, with scores of 25-17, 25-18, and 25-23.
 
After missing three games due to injury, Chandler Cowell returned the lineup and made an immediate impact. Slotted back in her usual outside hitter role, Cowell was doing a bit of everything for the Gaels. She led SMC with 11 kills and was efficient with just three attack errors; she tied for the team lead with four total blocks, which set a season-best; and she was tied for second on the Gaels with eight digs. She also added one of the five aces for the Gaels, and provided an energy that was lacking one week prior. Following her performance, she was named the Saint Mary's Bay Alarm Student-Athlete of the Week.
 
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO
A lot of turnover on the roster and coaching staff has led to a growing year for San Francisco. The Dons have yet to win a match and have only won eight sets all season, though they did just take Portland to five sets in Oregon on October 16 in their last match. Ten players on this year's team are freshmen and the coaching staff is brand new, but this team will be better in the future. Their attack lacks consistency, and they don't have one star on either end of the floor. Shyla Richardson (149 kills) and Orsula Staka (32 blocks) have been the biggest contributors so far.
 
ABOUT SANTA CLARA
The Broncos were in the middle of a dry spell when the Gaels beat them in five sets on September 28, eventually losing five-straight. Since that losing skid to begin WCC play, the Broncos have found something, winning their last three conference matches. Their attack has been much improved over the last three matches, hitting at least 0.295 in all three contests, while Sophia Tulino has 32 kills in the last two matches. She still sits behind Julia Sangiacomo and Michelle Shaffer for total kills on the year, but having three legitimate options is making the Broncos a deeper team.
 
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