MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's Beach Volleyball prepared for the upcoming WCC Midseason Invitational with a pair of home matches against Feather River College and Sierra College. The Gaels needed a strong tune-up before a difficult weekend, and they got just that on Tuesday afternoon, dropping just one set en route to a pair of sweeps over both schools. With the wins, Saint Mary's is now 11-5 on the season.
 
Match 1: Saint Mary's 5, Feather River College 0
 
The Gaels rolled through Feather River College in strong fashion, dropping just one set across all five countable contests. It began in the threes, as Hawley Harrer and Aeriel Sundt got the bump up one spot and made it count, winning both sets by the score of 21-9. That set the tone for all five Gaels pairs, who made quick work of Feather River. The top pair of Jasmin Suarez and Jennifer "Boo" Laird never allowed more than 17 points, Trinity Durfee and Megan Chandler never allowed more than 14 in the fives, and Makenna Joyce and Karmin Brown never allowed more than 13.
 
The most thrilling win of the day came in the in the fours, where Genevieve Bane and Ella Sandt dropped the opening set 22-20 despite erasing a 19-16 deficit late in the set to lead 20-19. That opening set loss did not deter the SMC fourth pair, as the Gaels came back and won 21-11 and 15-9 to close out the win and do their part in helping Saint Mary's earn a sweep.
 
RESULTS
(3) Hawley Harrer/Aeriel Sundt (SMC) def. Katherine Gee/Hannah Taylor (FRC) 21-9, 21-9
(1) Jasmin Suarez/Jennifer "Boo" Laird (SMC) def. Taylor O'Reilly/Carissa Chainey (FRC) 21-13, 21-17
(5) Trinity Durfee/Megan Chandler (SMC) def. Aliyah Stevenson/Jessica Hickel (FRC) 21-14, 21-13
(4) Genevieve Bane/Ella Sandt (SMC) def. Michelle Rameriez/Nellie Stevenson (FRC) 20-22, 21-11, 15-9
(2) Makenna Joyce/Karmin Brown (SMC) def. Ava Saiers/Sydnee Rowe (FRC) 21-13, 21-10
(6) Ashley Reed/Allie Cataldo (SMC) def. Britney Blomquist/Illiasia Bennett (FRC) 21-19, 21-16 (exhibition)
 
Match 2: Saint Mary's 5, Sierra College 0
 
Much of the same was on tap for the Gaels in their second match of the afternoon, taking on Sierra College and taking them down 5-0. Things went mostly in order, with the twos and threes kicking it off and cruising through (21-10 twice for Brown/Joyce, 21-14 and 21-6 for Harrer/Sundt). The Gaels top pair of Suarez/Laird slid in behind and rolled through the tune of 21-12 and 21-10 wins. The clean afternoon concluded in the fours and fives as Bane and Sandt won their match in just two sets (21-11 and 21-16) while Laura Studebaker and Kristen Erland were slotted into the fives and won 21-11 and 21-17.
 
RESULTS
(2) Makenna Joyce/Karmin Brown (SMC) def. Hannah Platt/Hailee Mulic (Sierra) 21-10, 21-10
(3) Hawley Harrer/Aeriel Sundt (SMC) def. Courtney Clexton/Ella Black (Sierra) 21-14, 21-6
(1) Jasmin Suarez/Jennifer "Boo" Laird (SMC) def. Natalie Taggart/Corinne Williams (Sierra) 21-12, 21-10
(4) Genevieve Bane/Ella Sandt (SMC) def. Raya Willis/Lexi Trent (Sierra) 21-11, 21-16
(5) Laura Studebaker/Kristen Erland (SMC) def. Zelbee Rader/Rilee Macomber (Sierra) 21-11, 21-17
(6) Ashley Reed/Allie Cataldo (SMC) def. Jacy Dean/Veronika Tupy (Sierra) 21-11, 22-20 (exhibition)
 
QUOTABLES
"We really pushed through and showed some grit playing in the sun. I thought we were really steady, we played very consistently. I feel like our team had to take care of business today. We had a chance to work on things and utilize this opportunity to work on what we needed to work on and get the chance to get the job done in the process. And we are ready for this weekend." – Karmin Brown, Jennifer "Boo" Laird, and Jasmin Suarez
 
UP NEXT
The weekend picks up with the WCC Midseason Invitational on Friday and Saturday, where Saint Mary's is likely to see a number of WCC opponents. They begin with San Francisco at 12:00 pm, and then the rest of their opponents are to be determined based on FIVB Pool Play. The Gaels will see either #18 Pepperdine or San Jose State later on Friday, and then can see any combination of #6 Loyola Marymount, Portland, Santa Clara, or Pacific on Saturday. Games begin on Saturday at 9:00 am.