MORAGA, Calif. — After beginning West Coast Conference play with five of the first six on the road, Saint Mary's Volleyball returns home for two WCC matches this week. The Gaels will face ranked opponents in No. 12 BYU and No. 4 San Diego, the two toughest opponents on their schedule in terms of national ranking. The BYU match is at 7:00 pm on Thursday night and the San Diego contest is at 1:00 pm on Saturday afternoon.
 
THE DETAILS 
Saint Mary's Gaels (6-8, 3-3) vs. No. 12 BYU Cougars (13-3, 6-0)
Thursday, October 13 at 7:00 pm
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
 
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. No. 4 San Diego Toreros (15-1, 6-0)
Saturday, October 15 at 1:00 pm 
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets 
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gaels capped off their tough stretch of matches away from home by dropping a pair on the road to Loyola Marymount and No. 20 Pepperdine. The Gaels were swept in their contest against the Lions last Thursday, but managed to take a set from the Waves on Saturday afternoon in Malibu. SMC has lost three-straight WCC matches after beginning conference play 3-0, where they became the first team in the conference to reach the three-win mark in WCC play.
 
STAYING ALIVE
After dropping the first two sets against Pepperdine, it could have been easy for the Gaels to lay down and surrender, but that was not their mentality. They opened up the third set on a 5-0 run, led by kills from Kjersti Strong and Genevieve Bane. After a quick timeout from the Waves, they were able to storm back to make it a 9-8 SMC lead, but again the Gaels used a run of four points to pull ahead. Their third run of four points or more in the set came when they led 16-12, and that effectively put the game away, with three-straight attack errors helping the Gaels lead 20-12. Saint Mary's was clearly the better team in the third set, and that set win gave them loads of confidence.
 
ABOUT No. 12 BYU
The 2022 season for BYU has been defined by two different parts of their year. They opened up the season 5-0 before losing their next three matches, and now they've won eight straight since. Those three losses came against ranked teams in Pitt (#10), Georgia Tech (#5), and Ohio State (#8). They lead the West Coast Conference in attack percentage and kills per set, making them one of the most dangerous offenses the Gaels will face on the season. Whitney Llarenas is the leading attacker in the conference, hitting at a .399 clip, while Erin Livingston has one of the best marks in kills with 218.
 
ABOUT No. 4 SAN DIEGO
The Toreros have been one of the biggest surprises in the NCAA this season, vaulting all the way up to a top-five ranking. Their non-conference schedule was tough but they delivered, with a win over No. 6 Pitt to begin the year, followed by a sweep of No. 8 Ohio State. Their lone blemish is a four-set defeat at No. 3 Louisville, but they've been dynamite in conference play, with four-straight sweeps working to their favor. They do a lot of things right, including limiting opponents to just a .154 hitting percentage, which is best in the WCC. Katie Lukes is one of their best hitters, with 202 kills and a .264 hitting percentage.