MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's hosted their final beach match of the 2022 regular season on Thursday against San Francisco. In their final West Coast Conference game before the conference championship on April 29-30, the Gaels showed that they are ready for whatever Santa Monica has to offer. Saint Mary's swept USF on Thursday for their 15^th win of the season, sending their seniors off in style in front of a great crowd on campus.
 
A senior kick-started the efforts for Saint Mary's on Thursday, with Aeriel Sundt teaming up with Hawley Harrer to win in the fours over USF 21-14 and 21-9. It was a dominant performance for the Gaels in the fours, with Sundt and Harrer winning for the second time in as many days. Two more seniors accomplished that same feat about 35 minutes later, with Jasmin Suarez and Jennifer "Boo" Laird winning in the twos 21-17 and 21-11.
 
Two non-seniors took care of the clincher in the third win of the afternoon, when Karmin Brown and Makenna Joyce beat the third pair for USF 21-12 and 21-16, giving the Gaels their second-consecutive win on home sand to close out the season. It got better as seniors Chandler Cowell and Selblie Christensen capped off their home careers with wins of 21-11 and 21-14, putting the Gaels one win away from a sweep.
 
That was achieved in the fives, when Saint Mary's received a huge comeback performance from a pair of underclassmen. Ella Sandt and Genevieve Bane won the first set in the fives 21-18 but then saw a 15-10 deficit in the second set. They closed out the set on an impressive 11-4 run, first taking the lead at 17-16 and then holding on to win the final two points after the score was tied 19-19. The win is their seventh of the year when working together, and their second in a row.
 
RESULTS
(4) Hawley Harrer/Aeriel Sundt (SMC) def. Shyia Richardson/Bruna Correa (USF) 21-14, 21-9
(2) Jasmin Suarez/Jennifer "Boo" Laird (SMC) def. Jessica Eanes/Tanner Pemberton (USF) 21-17, 21-11
(3) Karmin Brown/Makenna Joyce (SMC) def. Katie Wagstaff/Lana Kutakhina (USF) 21-12, 21-16
(1) Chandler Cowell/Selbie Christensen (SMC) def. Orsula Staka/Letizia Aquilino (USF) 21-11, 21-14
(5) Ella Sandt/Genevieve Bane (SMC) def. Sophie Sydenham/Sara Denham (USF) 21-18, 21-19
(6) Trinity Durfee/Megan Chandler (SMC) def. Francesca Stanschus/Pina Rivera (USF) 21-12, 21-14 (exhibition)
 
UP NEXT
The 2022 regular season concludes this weekend as the Gaels take part in the Stanford Invitational, hosted by eighth-ranked Stanford, on Saturday and Sunday. The Gaels will see four teams over the weekend, with the first three matches coming against teams they have yet to face this year. Washington, No. 7 Grand Canyon, and No. 11 Cal are the first three matches on tap for the Gaels, beginning Saturday morning at 9 am, and they will conclude play on Sunday at 5:00 pm against the Cardinal. The West Coast Conference Championship will close out the season, with the two-day event starting on April 29.