MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's Volleyball is ready to turn the page to the month of November, the final month of the 2022 season. With a new month comes the final seven matches of the season, with five of those taking place at home. Saint Mary's will kick off the month with a home contest against RV Pepperdine on Thursday night at 7:00 pm before hosting Loyola Marymount on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (7-12, 4-7) vs. RV Pepperdine Waves (16-7, 7-5)
Thursday, November 3 at 7:00 pm
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
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Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Loyola Marymount Lions (14-7, 9-3)
Saturday, November 5 at 1:00 pm
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
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LAST TIME OUT
For the final time during the 2022 season, Saint Mary's Volleyball met up with the Pacific Tigers, closing out their season series. The first matchup at the home of the Tigers was all Pacific, as they swept past the Gaels and prevented them from getting much going. Last Friday night inside University Credit Union Pavilion was much more back-and-forth, with Saint Mary's staving off elimination in third set, but ultimately dropping the match in four. It was the first time this season the Gaels have had a better hitting percentage than an opponent in a loss.
 
STRONG NIGHT ALL-AROUND
One of the keys to the night for Saint Mary's was its ability to feed Kjersti Strong and let take over the Gaels attack. She was a shining star for SMC, posting a career-best in kills with 14 and in blocks with nine, easily making it her best game of the year. There wasn't a lot that she didn't do well, as she was one of the few in the middle for the Gaels who could neutralize the strong arm of Biamba Kabengele, who finished with an impressive 27 kills. Two of Strong's blocks were of the solo variety, teaming up with others for seven assists. There wasn't a set where she was particularly weak, either, racking up at least three kills in all four sets.
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE
The Waves were one of the three WCC teams inside the top-25 earlier this season, but they've hit a rut and have begun struggling as conference play drags on. They've lost three of their last five matches, all to unranked teams (LMU, Gonzaga, San Francisco), and now sit at 7-5 in conference play. They also lost one of their best players in Rachel Ahrens, who is no longer on the team. Meg Brown and Grace Chillingworth have been carrying the offense in the meantime, with Brown featuring a team-best 247 kills and a .360 hitting percentage. This is the best digging team in the WCC, with 14.4 digs per match.
 
ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
After dropping the first two conference games of the season, the Lions have roared to life, winning nine of their last 10 matches. Their only loss during that span was a four-set loss to San Francisco, their only loss they've suffered at home this year. Their attack has really picked up, with a .258 hitting percentage as a team, and they also sport the most blocks per game of any team in the conference (2.6). They have some great servers, but they also have the most service errors of any team in the conference (234), so that's something to watch for as the match goes on.