SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The 2022 West Coast Conference Championship began on Friday morning in Santa Monica, and third-seeded Saint Mary's began their run towards the title against sixth-seeded San Francisco. The Gaels emerged victorious in a sweep over San Francisco to move on to a match against #16 Pepperdine with a spot in the winner's bracket semis on the line. Saint Mary's dropped that match to the Waves 3-2, dropping their season record to 16-17 and putting them in position for a potential of three matches on day two.
 
Match 1: Saint Mary's 5, San Francisco 0
 
The first day of the championship began in an expected way for Saint Mary's, getting past San Francisco for the fifth time in five tries this season. Their top pairs were the ones leading the way, with Chandler Cowell and Selbie Christensen providing a pair of dominant wins in the top flight with scores of 21-8 and 21-9. They were the only pair for the Gaels to win both matches without allowing another pair to score double-digits.
 
Jasmin Suarez and Jennifer "Boo" Laird stayed hot, with wins of 21-13 and 21-10 in the twos. The success continued in the fives, who were the clinchers in the first match of the day. The combination of Ella Sandt and Genevieve Bane won with duplicate scores of 21-10, and at that point, Saint Mary's was well on their way to the second match of the tournament.
 
RESULTS
(1) Chandler Cowell/Selbie Christensen (SMC) def. Orsula Staka/Tanner Pemberton (USF) 21-8, 21-9
(2) Jasmin Suarez/Jennifer "Boo" Laird (SMC) def. Jessica Eanes/Letizia Aquilino (USF) 21-13, 21-10
(5) Ella Sandt/Genevieve Bane (SMC) def. Katie Wagstaff/Francesca Stanschus (USF) 21-10, 21-10
(3) Makenna Joyce/Karmin Brown (SMC) def. Shyia Richardson/Bruna Correa (USF) 21-13, 21-12
(4) Aeriel Sundt/Hawley Harrer (SMC) def. Sophie Sydenham/Sara Denham (USF) 21-15, 21-10
 
Match 2: #16 Pepperdine 3, Saint Mary's 2
 
The Gaels performance against 16^th-ranked Pepperdine might have been their most impressive showing of the entire season. After losing to Pepperdine 5-0 in the Midseason Invitational, the Gaels came back and scored two victories against Pepperdine, winning the threes and fours.
 
Aeriel Sundt and Hawley Harrer were the first Gaels to pick up a victory, holding off the Waves from clinching the match with scores of 21-19 and 21-19. This was their first ranked victory of the season, and their first ranked victory as beach partners. They were joined by Makenna Joyce and Karmin Brown in the threes, who beat Pepperdine 22-20 and 21-18 after the Waves had already cinched up the victory.
 
Saint Mary's had yet to earn two team points against a ranked team all season, and it came against Pepperdine, a team they have only beaten once in program history (2021).
 
RESULTS
(1) Melanie Paul/Madison Shields (PEP) def. Chandler Cowell/Selbie Christensen (SMC) 21-13, 21-15
(2) Simone Priebe/McKenna Thomas (PEP) def. Jasmin Suarez/Jennifer "Boo" Laird (SMC) 24-22, 21-17
(4) Aeriel Sundt/Hawley Harrer (SMC) def. Kate Clermont/Cameron Baklenko (PEP) 21-19, 21-19
(5) Savana Greene/Rio Frohoff (PEP) def. Ella Sandt/Genevieve Bane (SMC) 21-14, 21-17
(3) Makenna Joyce/Karmin Brown (SMC) def. Juju Quintero/Peyton Lewis (PEP) 22-20, 21-18

QUOTABLES
"Another great showing by the Gaels. Pepperdine is a top-notch program and we were right there with them. Boo and Jasmin had them on the ropes in the first set and let it slip away and then came back again in the second to make it close. Hawley and Aeriel on court four and Makenna and Karmin on court three did a great job coming out on top. We are excited for tomorrow's opportunities." - Rob Browning
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will now need to win from the elimination bracket if they wish to win the West Coast Conference Championship. Play begins tomorrow at 9:00 am against a to be determined opponent, as of the publication of this story. It is plausible that Saint Mary's could face Santa Clara, the four-seed in the tournament. A win for Saint Mary's would then pit them against either top-seeded Loyola Marymount, or set them up for a rematch with Pepperdine at 12:00 pm in the semifinals.