MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's Volleyball will look to rebound after a tough five set loss to Loyola Marymount as they head out on their final road trip of the season. Saint Mary's will head south to take on No. 2 San Diego this Thursday before heading to Utah to battle No. 18 BYU on Saturday, the final time these two teams will play in WCC action.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (7-14) vs. No. 2 San Diego Toreros (22-1, 13-0)
Thursday, November 10 at 7:00 pm
Jenny Craig Pavilion – San Diego, Calif.
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Saint Mary's Gaels vs. No. 18 BYU Cougars (19-5, 12-2)
Saturday, November 12 at 12:00 pm
Smith Fieldhouse – Provo, Utah.
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LAST TIME OUT
The Gaels faced off against the LMU Lions last Saturday in what proved to be a fierce five set thriller in Moraga. The Gaels have been firing out of the gates in recent weeks, and that trend continued on Saturday afternoon against Loyola Marymount. Saint Mary's started strong, winning the first set 25-21.
 
The Lions bounced back in the second set, however, winning 25-21. Both the third and fourth sets wound up going beyond 25 points, and the Gaels used a great comeback to get there in the third set.
 
Down 23-19, Saint Mary's eventually tied it at 24-24, with a kill from Hawley Harrer and an ace from Genevieve Bane getting the rally started. The Lions were able to score the final two points, however, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
In the fourth set, the Gaels were the ones with a 23-19 lead but couldn't close it out initially, letting the Lions score four-straight to even the score. With it again tied at 24-24, a block from Erland and Bane led to an attack error from the Lions, and the Gaels survived the fourth set 26-24 to advance to a fifth set.
 
Despite a hot start in the fifth set, the Gaels had victory in their sights as they led 13-8 down the stretch. With their backs against the wall, the Lions clawed their way back, scoring eight points in a row to stun the Gaels and grab the victory.
 
ABOUT SAN DIEGO
The Toreros continue to be a formidable force regardless of what opponent they face, as they sit second in the country ahead of their matchup with the Gaels this Thursday. Their national ranking keeps climbing by the week it seems, as this is their best ranking ever achieved in program history. San Diego is a perfect 12-0 at home, with the only blemish on their record coming earlier in the season when they lost to then third ranked Louisville 1-3 in Kentucky. Since then, the Toreros have won 19 straight matches, spearheaded by senior Katie Lukes who leads the team with 311 kills on the season.
 
ABOUT BYU
The Cougars enter Saturday's match with the Gaels ranked 18^th in the country, with their only two losses in conference play coming at the hands of San Diego and Pacific. Since their home loss to the Toreros on October 21, the Cougars have won four straight matches, only dropping one set in the process. The BYU duo of Whitney Llarenas and Erin Livingston have led the way for the Cougars, as Llarenas leads the conference with a .412 hitting percentage, and Livingston sits second in the conference averaging 4.24 kills per set. Finding a way to slow down their efficient attack will be one of the main keys for the Gaels.