WAIKIKI, Hawaii — Day two of the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Classic saw the Gaels take on two different teams from the opening day in Stephen F. Austin and No. 9 Stanford. In what was a great test of endurance, the Gaels were able to secure their first win of the season by taking down Stephen F. Austin 3-2 before dropping their final match of the day to the ranked Cardinal 4-1. SMC is now 1-3 through the first four matches of the tournament, with the playoffs pending.
 
Match 1: Saint Mary's 3, Stephen F. Austin 2
The first win of the season did not come easy, as Stephen F. Austin gave the Gaels all they could handle. Sadie Shipman (who transferred from SFA this year) teamed up with Allie Cataldo in the fours to win both of their sets 21-19, which gave the Gaels their first team point. But SFA led it 2-1 overall after three matches were completed, and it came down to dramatic third sets.
 
Angie Bour and Cameron Martinez were the second Gaels to clinch, and they had to fight all the way to the end. They were victorious in the first set 21-18 before dropping the second set in bonus points by a final of 24-22. That set the stage for the final set, which was a back-and-forth thriller, going to SMC and Bour/Martinez 15-13.
 
All eyes shifted then to the top pairs, led by Hawley Harrer and Daniella Kensinger for Saint Mary's. They too were in the final set, after winning the opening set and dropping the second stanza. In the third, Harrer and Kensinger were able to get just enough separation at the end, slamming down the final point and securing a 15-12 third-set win, and a 3-2 team win for the Gaels.
 
RESULTS
(2) Olivia Duhon/Madison Morrow (SFA) def. Karmin Brown/Hannah Couch (SMC) 21-15, 21-17
(4) Allie Cataldo/Sadie Shipman (SMC) def. Lizzie Denyer/Kelly Johnson (SFA) 21-19, 21-19
(3) Madison Hall/Chloe Culver (SFA) def. Genevieve Bane/Paola Peralta (SMC) 21-17, 23-21
(5) Angie Bour/Cameron Martinez (SMC) def. Abigail Elder/Elaina Amador (SFA) 21-18, 22-24, 15-13
(1) Hawley Harrer/Daniella Kensinger (SMC) def. Natalie Bennett/Hannah Ogden (SFA) 21-16, 15-21, 15-12
 
Match 2: No. 9 Stanford 4, Saint Mary's 1
 
The last set of this match to go final was the one that went the way of the Gaels, with Karmin Brown and Hannah Couch persevering through a battle to win in the third set. They needed bonus points to win the opening set 22-20, but after losing the second set, all the momentum was on the side of the Cardinal's third pair. Brown and Couch used a strong 7-3 opening to the set to hang on and win by a final of 15-13, securing the lone point of the match for the Gaels.
 
They weren't the only ones to take it the distance, with Paola Peralta and Genevieve Bane also going to three sets in the battle of the twos. Peralta and Bane cruised through their opening set 21-13 before the Cardinal flipped the script in the second set with a 21-15 win. The Gaels duo in the two spot couldn't replicate the magic that Brown and Couch had, and wound up dropping the set 15-10. Daniella Kensinger and Hawley Harrer took their second set to 19 points but ultimately couldn't force bonus points and dropped their closest set of the match.
 
RESULTS
(4) Ashley Vincent/Kelly Belardi (STAN) def. Sadie Shipman/Allie Cataldo (SMC) 21-2, 21-13
(5) Sophie Kubiak/Emmy Sharp (STAN) def. Cameron Martinez/Angie Bour (SMC) 21-10, 21-10
(1) Charlie Ekstrom/Kate Reilly (STAN) def. Daniella Kensinger/Hawley Harrer (SMC) 21-12, 21-19
(2) Maddi Kriz/Maya Harvey (STAN) def. Paola Peralta/Genevieve Bane (SMC) 13-21, 21-15, 15-10
(3) Karmin Brown/Hannah Couch (SMC) def. Taylor Wilson/Line Andersson (STAN) 22-20, 15-21, 15-12
 
UP NEXT
The playoffs for the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Classic take place beginning at 11:00 am PT on Saturday morning. Saint Mary's will play until eliminated from the event, with matches running all day long until the championships in the late afternoon.