MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's Volleyball plays inside of University Credit Union Pavilion for the first time during the 2022 season on Wednesday, August 31. The Gaels will host Sacramento State at 7:00 pm that night before heading back out on the road, this time across the Bay to take on San Jose State on Friday night.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (0-2) vs. Sacramento State Hornets (1-2)
Wednesday, August 31 at 7:00 pm
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
 
Saint Mary's Gaels at San Jose State Spartans (2-1)
Friday, September 2 at 5:00 pm
Spartan Gym – San Jose, Calif.
Watch | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Mary's opened up the 2022 season on the road at Boise State this past weekend and began the year with a pair of losses. They came out of the gates with a three-set loss in the opening match on Friday before looking much-improved in a four-set loss on Saturday afternoon. Through two matches, the Gaels hitting percentage is just .079, a far cry from the .260 they allowed to Boise State, but they've gotten some good performances. Hawley Harrer and Genevieve Bane each had 12 kills on Saturday, and the Gaels were actually better from the service line than the Broncos in that match (eight aces vs. five).
 
EXORCISING DEMONS
The Gaels put away their three-set loss from Friday afternoon very quickly on Saturday, as the Gaels were the sharper team in the opening stanza. They turned in their best performance in terms of hitting percentage in a set, with a .244 hitting percentage in the set, and got six kills apiece from Hawley Harrer and Kjersti Strong. The start to the match was about as good as it gets too, with SMC scoring eight of the first nine points. Harrer had two of those kills, and Strong had three, with Makenna Joyce adding the first ace of the match. This opening run was more than enough to buoy Saint Mary's to a 25-20 win in the first set, their first set win of the season.
 
ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE
Sacramento State began the season by hosting their own invitational last weekend, and they won their season-opening match against Nevada in five sets. The rest of the weekend went downhill at The Nest, as they lost to Middle Tennessee in five sets, and fell to Portland in four. They have been undone at the service line a lot, with 34 errors and 26 receiving errors in just three matches. They did rack up 36 blocks, however, proving to be strong at the net. Bridgettte Smith had a huge start to the year, with 56 kills (including 20 against Middle Tennessee and 22 against Portland), and she already ranks second on the team with 47 digs.
 
ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE
The Spartans began the year in Utah at the Weber State Tournament, and looked solid in a pair of wins over Southern Utah and UC Riverside, both coming in four sets. Their final match of the tournament was a four-set loss to the hosts, Weber State. Their non-conference schedule will feature some tough opponents, including UCLA and USC, who are both ranked after the first poll of the 2022 indoor season. Like Sacramento State, they've struggled at the service line, with just 15 aces and 32 errors. Already eight Spartans have at least 10 kills, with Amethyst Harper leading the charge with her 43 kills (10+ in every match).