MORAGA, Calif. — Thursday night's volleyball match between Saint Mary's and Loyola Marymount had all the makings of a big upset. Saint Mary's roared out in front after winning the first two sets, but ultimately it was LMU that had the last roar, taking the final three sets on the road and defeating Saint Mary's. Final sets on Thursday night were 25-19, 25-18, 21-25, 13-25, and 10-15. With the decision, Saint Mary's drops to 8-7 (2-4) while LMU improves to 13-2 (4-1).
 
FIRST ROAR
The Gaels continued a trend that has been strong all season long, coming out of the gates hot and winning the first set. They carried that momentum through into the second set, where they overcame a deficit midway through the set and found themselves in front. Down 17-13 in the second set, the Gaels won nine-consecutive points with Ella Sandt serving, and closed out the set with 12 of the final 13 points. Trinity Durfee was on fire during this stretch, with three kills, a solo block, and two more block assists. After taking the first two sets, it appeared the Gaels had the Lions on the ropes.
 
LAST ROAR
As fate would have it, LMU found themselves in the driver's seat the rest of the way, winning the final three sets on the evening. The third set is where SMC had its best chance to close it out, with LMU leading only 16-14 midway through after a pair of kills from Jennifer "Boo" Laird and Kristen Erland. LMU then caught fire on a Kari Geissberger service run, and led by as many as 23-17 before surviving an SMC flurry to hang on for the set. The fourth set was all Lions, highlighted by five-straight kills from Geissberger, and suddenly the fifth set was underway.
 
NEXT PLAYER UP
Saint Mary's entered the night dealing with a few injuries to starters, making Thursday's performances even more impressive. It was the best night in the collegiate career of Ashley Reed, who tallied 12 kills, nine digs, and two aces to either set or match career-highs across the board. Selbie Christensen and Hawley Harrer were dealing all night, each totaling 13 kills to pace SMC. Erland was also strong with 10 kills of her own. Even with injuries taking their toll, the Gaels showed on Thursday that they have quality depth required to compete with any team in the WCC.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will host #23 Pepperdine to close out the weekend, with first serve scheduled for 1:00 pm on Saturday, October 9. It marks the middle match of three-in-a-row at home for the Gaels, who will also be at home on October 15 against Pacific.
 
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