STOCKTON, Calif. — About ninety minutes into tonight's WCC volleyball matchup between Saint Mary's (12-9, 6-3 WCC) and Pacific (11-9, 5-3 WCC), everything seemed to be going the way of the Tigers. UoP took a commanding 2-0 lead and looked to remain unbeaten on their home floor, but the Gaels stayed cool, calm and collected in the face of adversity, rallying back to take the five set thriller in reverse sweep fashion (18-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-12, 18-16). With the win, the Gaels take sole possession of fourth place in the WCC through the first time through conference opponents. 

REVERSE SWEEP!
Tonight's win marks the Gaels first reverse sweep victory of 2023. For their last reverse sweep victory, you'd need to look all the way back to the 2018 season, when the Gaels accomplished the feat against the University of Portland on the road. 

MIDDLES SHINE AGAIN
The middle blocking duo of Kjersti Strong and Kristen Erland continues to be the driving force for the Gaels on both sides of the net. Tonight, Strong and Erland combined for 23 kills on 41 swings and just two errors, for a 0.510 hitting clip. On the blocking front, the duo was involved in all 11 of the team's blocks, as they out-blocked the Tigers 11-6. 

ACES 'O PLENTY
Saint Mary's set a new season-high with 15 total service aces on the evening. Hailee Garcia and Abby Castillon each totalled four to spearhead this triumphant effort. The four ace mark was a career-high for both Garcia and Castillon. It was just the fifth time in program history that a Saint Mary's team tallied at least 15 aces in a single match. 

A SOLID HOMECOMING
Located less than an hour south of Pacific's campus is the city of Modesto, home to Abby Castillon. Back in her own neck of the woods, Castillon put together a stellar all-around performance in the winning effort. The sophomore outside hitter notched a pair of new career-best tallies, with four service aces and a team-high 17 digs. These numbers went along with Abby's five kills and three blocks, as she truly gave new meaning to the title "swiss army knife on the court". 

QUOTABLE
"That's a big win! Pacific is a very good team and they are very tough at home. Like most matches, it ebbed and flowed and we weathered the storms and rode the momentum when we had it. It wasn't close to being a really consistent match for us, but we stepped up when we needed to. Everyone made some big plays throughout the match and especially at the end. I am so proud of our team." – Head Coach Rob Browning

UP NEXT
The Gaels will get some much needed rest tomorrow before returning to their home court to take on San Francisco on Saturday, October 21. First serve is set for 1 PM. 

DON'T MISS OUT ON HOME VOLLEYBALL ACTION. TICKETS ARE ON SALE HERE.

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