VB | Trio of Gaels Named to All-WCC Team
4/6/2021 3:05:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SAN MATEO, Calif. — In a volleyball season unlike any other, the West Coast Conference adds some regularity in with the announcement of its annual All-WCC teams. Saint Mary's Volleyball lands three spots on the honorable mention team in the spring of 2021, with Elena Baka, Jennifer "Boo" Laird, and Hawley Harrer all being named for the first time in their careers.
BACK TO BAKA
Elena Baka was stellar this year for Saint Mary's, leading the way in multiple categories to make her an easy choice to be named to the All-WCC team. Baka was a preseason All-WCC selection in the conference, and backed it up with 194 kills on the season to lead Saint Mary's, while racking up 3.08 kills per set. She was also the team leader in service aces with 25, and finished second on the team with 161 digs, just three back of the team-best. 11 times on the season, Baka finished with ten or more kills, including in each of the last five matches of the year. She tied career-bests twice in kills this year with 17 against LMU (Jan. 27) and Santa Clara (Mar. 18). Her kills total ranked 11th in the conference, and her 25 aces were good for fourth-best overall.
BOO BLOCKS
Few middle blockers in the WCC enjoyed the success that Jennifer "Boo" Laird had this year, and that helped her land All-WCC honorable mention honors. Laird was the best blocker on the Gaels this season, racking up five solo blocks and 53 assisted blocks for a total of 58, a number that ranked eighth in the conference. In the middle of the season, she was a blocking machine, averaging over 4.5 blocks per match over a nine-match stretch, including a career-best 10 against Pacific on March 9. That helped her win WCC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career, while becoming the first Gael to pick up a weekly WCC honor since 2013.
HATS OFF TO HAWLEY
Big things were expected of Hawley Harrer after transferring to Saint Mary's from UCLA, and she delivered in her first season in Moraga, landing on the All-WCC honorable mention team. Harrer was one of the stronger attackers for Saint Mary's later in the season, finishing with 133 kills and an attack percentage of 22.3%, the second-best on the Gaels behind Laird. As the season progressed, she continued to improve on the block as well, finishing the season with 30 total blocks, good for third-most on the Gaels. She impressed in a five-set win over Portland, putting up a career-best 17 kills, and ended the season with ten or more kills in five matches.
BACK TO BAKA
Elena Baka was stellar this year for Saint Mary's, leading the way in multiple categories to make her an easy choice to be named to the All-WCC team. Baka was a preseason All-WCC selection in the conference, and backed it up with 194 kills on the season to lead Saint Mary's, while racking up 3.08 kills per set. She was also the team leader in service aces with 25, and finished second on the team with 161 digs, just three back of the team-best. 11 times on the season, Baka finished with ten or more kills, including in each of the last five matches of the year. She tied career-bests twice in kills this year with 17 against LMU (Jan. 27) and Santa Clara (Mar. 18). Her kills total ranked 11th in the conference, and her 25 aces were good for fourth-best overall.
BOO BLOCKS
Few middle blockers in the WCC enjoyed the success that Jennifer "Boo" Laird had this year, and that helped her land All-WCC honorable mention honors. Laird was the best blocker on the Gaels this season, racking up five solo blocks and 53 assisted blocks for a total of 58, a number that ranked eighth in the conference. In the middle of the season, she was a blocking machine, averaging over 4.5 blocks per match over a nine-match stretch, including a career-best 10 against Pacific on March 9. That helped her win WCC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career, while becoming the first Gael to pick up a weekly WCC honor since 2013.
HATS OFF TO HAWLEY
Big things were expected of Hawley Harrer after transferring to Saint Mary's from UCLA, and she delivered in her first season in Moraga, landing on the All-WCC honorable mention team. Harrer was one of the stronger attackers for Saint Mary's later in the season, finishing with 133 kills and an attack percentage of 22.3%, the second-best on the Gaels behind Laird. As the season progressed, she continued to improve on the block as well, finishing the season with 30 total blocks, good for third-most on the Gaels. She impressed in a five-set win over Portland, putting up a career-best 17 kills, and ended the season with ten or more kills in five matches.
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