Friday, August 27
Laramie, WY
9:00 am
Saint Mary's College of California
1-0,0-0WCC
3
vs
0
Siena
0-1,0-0MAAC
1
2
3
F
Siena
17
18
11
0
Saint Mary's (CA)
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Wyoming Athletics / John Durgee
VB | Perfect Start for Gaels in Day 1 of Rumble in the Rockies
8/27/2021 3:40:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
LARAMIE, Wyo. — Saint Mary's Volleyball opened up the 2021 season at the Rumble in the Rockies on Friday, playing two matches. While both were against different teams from different parts of the country, the Gaels showed that it didn't matter who they were playing – they were going to be successful. SMC did not lose a set on Friday in sweeping both the Siena Saints and the Wyoming Cowgirls to open up a perfect 2-0 on the season.
Match 1: Saint Mary's 3, Siena 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-11)
TORRID ATTACK
One area the Gaels needed to improve on from the 2020 season was their attack, which finished eighth in the WCC one season ago in attack percentage. They made good work on that in their opening match against Siena, with an efficient offensive performance that was clicking on all cylinders. In the opening set against the Saints, the Gaels attacked at a 28.1% clip, with 15 kills on 32 total swings. In the second set, the Gaels matched that percentage on the same number of swings. In the final set, the attack got even better, with the Gaels racking up a 44.4% hitting percentage. SMC totaled 14 kills on 27 swings with just two errors, led by a strong final set from Megan Chandler. In her collegiate debut, she wound up tying for the Gaels lead with seven kills overall, matching the number put up by Hawley Harrer. Five Gaels who took at least nine swings had an attack percentage of at least 41%.
START WITH THE MIDDLE
In the first two sets against Siena, the Gaels found that the middle of the set was when they found their groove. With a modest 10-9 lead in set one, the Gaels ripped off an 8-0 run to distance themselves from the Saints. Selbie Christensen got it started on her service with an ace, and then it was a host of Gaels coming through, including Jennifer "Boo" Laird, who had two kills on the run. In the second set, the match was tied 7-7 before SMC uncorked a 10-1 run to go up 17-8. In a similar fashion to the first run, it was an ace that helped get it started from the Gaels, this time by Laird. Trinity Durfee was the one who closed it out by recording back-to-back kills. In the final set, the Gaels were in command from the beginning, but it was 6-5 early on until the Gaels went on another 8-0 run, and an even larger 13-2 run to dominate the Saints in the final set.
SELBIE SAYS
"Very pleased with the focus and energy right from the get-go. Siena fought from the beginning, but our team was poised and on-task the entire time, even through multiple subs and lineup changes. I'm liking our balance between the veterans and our freshmen, there's great chemistry there. Our freshmen did great, as expected." – Selbie Christensen
Match 2: Saint Mary's 3, Wyoming 0 (25-17, 25-19, 26-24)
POWERFUL PINS
Two of the most impactful players for Saint Mary's in their sweep of the Cowgirls were their outside hitters: Elena Baka and Chandler Cowell. They were impressive from the beginning, with Cowell registering the first three kills of the match for the Gaels, to Baka closing it out with a solo block of four-time All-Mountain West standout Jackie McBride. Baka and Cowell combined for 21 kills, just seven errors, and 19 total digs. What's just as impressive, both outside hitters finished with hitting percentages above 0.300, continuing the trend of strong swings from Gaels of all positions.
ATTAAAAAAACK!!!
Remember that Gael attack that was so strong in the win over Siena? It was even better in their match against Wyoming, with the Gaels opening up attacking at a whopping 55.2% rate. While it cooled down over the final two sets, Saint Mary's still managed to finish with a percentage of 30.7% on the afternoon, giving SMC two matches with a hitting percentage of over 30%. For context, the Gaels did not have one such match during the 2020 season. The "attack" mantra seemed to carry over defensively as well, as the Gaels were strong digging against the Cowgirls. Kelsey Knudsen, playing in her first matches since 2019, had a massive diving dig late in the third set against Wyoming that helped the Gaels get a point and eventually a narrow 26-24 match-clinching win. She had seven digs in both matches, while Baka led the way with 12 against Wyoming.
BROWNING BITES
"Impressive performance by the Gaels today. Great energy and effort across the board. Our passers were solid all day long, and that was a big difference in both matches, but especially against Wyoming. They are a good serving team and our passers were tough, consistently putting up good balls for our setters to run the offense, which they did very well. We have a really balance offense. We have six attackers on the floor who can get the job done, and four more on the bench who can come in and keep our offense rolling." – head coach, Rob Browning
DAY 1 THOUGHTS
"I thought our team displayed an incredible amount of mental toughness today, playing two good teams and staying level-headed the whole time. When Rob called our team huddle at the end of the third set against Wyoming, you could see and feel our determination from every single player. We trusted in our ability to perform on our side of the net under pressure, and it paid off," – Kelsey Knudsen
"I love how our team battled today. We showed great mental toughness, especially in the end of the third set [against Wyoming] when we came back from a 23-21 deficit. We rose to the challenge and came out a better team. I'm excited to face Wyoming again tomorrow!" – Jennifer "Boo" Laird
UP NEXT
The Rumble in the Rockies concludes on Saturday evening, as the Gaels have one more match on tap against the Wyoming Cowgirls. First serve is scheduled for 5:30 pm PT, and then the Gaels will head home for a week of rest before resuming play next weekend in the Bay Area with the home opener against San Jose State on September 3.
#GaelsRise — Single game tickets are on sale through the month of September! To select your game and your tickets, click HERE!
Match 1: Saint Mary's 3, Siena 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-11)
TORRID ATTACK
One area the Gaels needed to improve on from the 2020 season was their attack, which finished eighth in the WCC one season ago in attack percentage. They made good work on that in their opening match against Siena, with an efficient offensive performance that was clicking on all cylinders. In the opening set against the Saints, the Gaels attacked at a 28.1% clip, with 15 kills on 32 total swings. In the second set, the Gaels matched that percentage on the same number of swings. In the final set, the attack got even better, with the Gaels racking up a 44.4% hitting percentage. SMC totaled 14 kills on 27 swings with just two errors, led by a strong final set from Megan Chandler. In her collegiate debut, she wound up tying for the Gaels lead with seven kills overall, matching the number put up by Hawley Harrer. Five Gaels who took at least nine swings had an attack percentage of at least 41%.
START WITH THE MIDDLE
In the first two sets against Siena, the Gaels found that the middle of the set was when they found their groove. With a modest 10-9 lead in set one, the Gaels ripped off an 8-0 run to distance themselves from the Saints. Selbie Christensen got it started on her service with an ace, and then it was a host of Gaels coming through, including Jennifer "Boo" Laird, who had two kills on the run. In the second set, the match was tied 7-7 before SMC uncorked a 10-1 run to go up 17-8. In a similar fashion to the first run, it was an ace that helped get it started from the Gaels, this time by Laird. Trinity Durfee was the one who closed it out by recording back-to-back kills. In the final set, the Gaels were in command from the beginning, but it was 6-5 early on until the Gaels went on another 8-0 run, and an even larger 13-2 run to dominate the Saints in the final set.
SELBIE SAYS
"Very pleased with the focus and energy right from the get-go. Siena fought from the beginning, but our team was poised and on-task the entire time, even through multiple subs and lineup changes. I'm liking our balance between the veterans and our freshmen, there's great chemistry there. Our freshmen did great, as expected." – Selbie Christensen
Match 2: Saint Mary's 3, Wyoming 0 (25-17, 25-19, 26-24)
POWERFUL PINS
Two of the most impactful players for Saint Mary's in their sweep of the Cowgirls were their outside hitters: Elena Baka and Chandler Cowell. They were impressive from the beginning, with Cowell registering the first three kills of the match for the Gaels, to Baka closing it out with a solo block of four-time All-Mountain West standout Jackie McBride. Baka and Cowell combined for 21 kills, just seven errors, and 19 total digs. What's just as impressive, both outside hitters finished with hitting percentages above 0.300, continuing the trend of strong swings from Gaels of all positions.
ATTAAAAAAACK!!!
Remember that Gael attack that was so strong in the win over Siena? It was even better in their match against Wyoming, with the Gaels opening up attacking at a whopping 55.2% rate. While it cooled down over the final two sets, Saint Mary's still managed to finish with a percentage of 30.7% on the afternoon, giving SMC two matches with a hitting percentage of over 30%. For context, the Gaels did not have one such match during the 2020 season. The "attack" mantra seemed to carry over defensively as well, as the Gaels were strong digging against the Cowgirls. Kelsey Knudsen, playing in her first matches since 2019, had a massive diving dig late in the third set against Wyoming that helped the Gaels get a point and eventually a narrow 26-24 match-clinching win. She had seven digs in both matches, while Baka led the way with 12 against Wyoming.
BROWNING BITES
"Impressive performance by the Gaels today. Great energy and effort across the board. Our passers were solid all day long, and that was a big difference in both matches, but especially against Wyoming. They are a good serving team and our passers were tough, consistently putting up good balls for our setters to run the offense, which they did very well. We have a really balance offense. We have six attackers on the floor who can get the job done, and four more on the bench who can come in and keep our offense rolling." – head coach, Rob Browning
DAY 1 THOUGHTS
"I thought our team displayed an incredible amount of mental toughness today, playing two good teams and staying level-headed the whole time. When Rob called our team huddle at the end of the third set against Wyoming, you could see and feel our determination from every single player. We trusted in our ability to perform on our side of the net under pressure, and it paid off," – Kelsey Knudsen
"I love how our team battled today. We showed great mental toughness, especially in the end of the third set [against Wyoming] when we came back from a 23-21 deficit. We rose to the challenge and came out a better team. I'm excited to face Wyoming again tomorrow!" – Jennifer "Boo" Laird
UP NEXT
The Rumble in the Rockies concludes on Saturday evening, as the Gaels have one more match on tap against the Wyoming Cowgirls. First serve is scheduled for 5:30 pm PT, and then the Gaels will head home for a week of rest before resuming play next weekend in the Bay Area with the home opener against San Jose State on September 3.
#GaelsRise — Single game tickets are on sale through the month of September! To select your game and your tickets, click HERE!
Team Stats
Siena
SMC
Kills
20
43
Errors
18
13
Attempts
74
91
Hitting %
.027
.330
Points
26
57
Assists
19
40
Aces
1
5
Blocks
5
9
Game Leaders
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's VolleyballL/DS
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