MALIBU, Calif. — Saint Mary's Volleyball has just three road matches left on the season, and they all come in the next three games. The Gaels will begin this final road trip of the 2021 season by heading down to SoCal to take on the RV Pepperdine Waves and the Loyola Marymount Lions, two of the better teams in the West Coast Conference.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (13-8, 7-5 WCC) at RV Pepperdine Waves (16-4, 8-3 WCC)
Thursday, November 4 at 7:00 pm
Firestone Fieldhouse – Malibu, Calif.
Watch Live | Live Stats
 
Saint Mary's Gaels at Loyola Marymount Lions (15-6, 6-5 WCC)
Saturday, November 6 at 1:00 pm
Gersten Pavilion – Los Angeles
Watch Live | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Mary's has won their last five matches, actively the second-longest streak in the WCC and their longest streak since the 2018 season. The Gaels won six of seven sets over the weekend, including a sweep of Gonzaga on Saturday. Few rallies seemed to linger on Saturday afternoon, and that's because the Gaels were making the most of their swings. They had 39 kills on just 84 attacks, leading to a 46.4% kill percentage and a 32.1% hitting percentage, some of their best totals of the season. Saint Mary's could do no wrong early on, with hitting percentages of 38.5% and 48% in the first two sets, and they had a real chance at finishing the afternoon with their best mark of the season. Hawley Harrer was a model of efficiency with her swings, recording a team-best 10 kills with just one error on 16 swings.
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE
After losing three of their last four matches and falling out of the top-25 rankings, Pepperdine has regained some rhythm, winning their last three matches on the road without losing a set (Gonzaga, Portland, LMU). Pepperdine is a dangerous team with a lot of depth, and they were able to out-serve the Gaels the last time they met, with 13 service aces versus just two for Saint Mary's. Rachel Ahrens continues to lead the WCC in a variety of categories, including kills (354), aces (46), and points per set (5.38). The Waves do allow opponents to hit at a .222 clip, which allows Saint Mary's to set up their attack well.
 
ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
Much like Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount has found themselves in a bit of a skid. The Lions have lost four of their last five matches, with their lone win coming against Portland on October 21. Granted, they have suffered losses to the top three teams in the conference (BYU, USD, and Pepperdine), but the hot start has faded. The Lions are still a strong attacking team, hitting at a .250 clip on the year, but they make far too many mistakes from the service line (243 errors). Against Pepperdine in their last match, they were without the services of Kari Geissberger, the team's leader in kills.
 
#GaelsRise – Single game tickets are on sale now for the remainder of the 2021 season. Grab your tickets HERE!