MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's Beach Volleyball returns from Hawaii with four matches on tap this week, including their home opener against San Jose State. The Gaels will face two West Coast Conference opponents this weekend, part of three games on Saturday afternoon at Sacramento State. Saint Mary's will not be in tournament play again until March 25.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (0-4) vs. San Jose State Spartans (2-2)
Tuesday, March 1 at 2:00 pm
Gaels Beach Courts – Moraga, Calif.
 
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. San Francisco Dons (0-0)
Saturday, March 5 at 9:00 am
Hornet Beach – Sacramento, Calif.
 
Saint Mary's Gaels at Sacramento State Hornets (0-0)
Saturday, March 5 at 12:00 pm
Hornet Beach – Sacramento, Calif.
 
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Pacific Tigers (0-3)
Saturday, March 5 at 3:00 pm
Hornet Beach – Sacramento, Calif.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Mary's took part in the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic, hosted by the University of Hawaii, last weekend for their first action of the 2022 season. The Gaels had to go up against some of the top teams in the country, as they faced No. 2 UCLA twice, No. 7 Stanford, and No. 10 Hawaii. The Gaels dropped their first three matches to each school, and then got a rematch with UCLA in the semifinals of the event before being swept by the 2021 nation champion runner-up, UCLA.
 
HOME OPENER!
The Gaels have their first home beach match of the season on Tuesday when they welcome in San Jose State for the first time this season. The Gaels and Spartans have met nine times and the Gaels have prevailed in all nine matches, most recently winning twice against the Spartans during the 2019 season. Tuesday's match against SJSU will be the first of six home matches for Saint Mary's during the 2022 beach season, including conference matchups against Pacific (March 16), Santa Clara (April 20), and San Francisco (April 21).
 
ABOUT THE WEEKEND OPPONENTS
Saint Mary's will see three teams over the weekend at Sacramento State, including the Hornets. SMC will also square off with WCC rivals in Pacific and San Francisco during the tripleheader action that takes place of the WCC/Big West Challenge. The Hornets went 0-9 during an abbreviated 2021 season, with all nine matches coming after indoor season in the month of April. They will begin their 2022 season this weekend, just like the Dons of USF, who went 3-9 last season, including a pair of straight-set losses to the Gaels. Pacific has three matches under their belts this season, and lost all three. The Tigers went 6-8 last year but suffered a pair of defeats to Saint Mary's, including a 5-0 loss in the WCC Championship.
 
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