STANFORD, Calif. — Saint Mary's beach volleyball returned from Hawaii and went over to Stanford for a pair of matches on Wednesday afternoon. After seeing No. 7 Stanford twice in Hawaii, the Gaels met up with them again in the first match, where they lost 4-1, but Saint Mary's rebounded well with a win in their first conference match of the season. That win came over Portland by a final of 4-1, putting the Gaels at 3-6 through the first nine matches of the year.
 
Match 1: No. 7 Stanford 4, Saint Mary's 1
 
The afternoon got off to a great start for the Gaels, as they took the opening match of the day against the Cardinal. Sliding down into the twos, Hawley Harrer and Daniella Kensinger were able to move past the Cardinal duo with finals of 21-19 and 21-15, becoming the first SMC pair this year to win three matches. While that was the only point the Gaels earned on the day, they came close to scoring other points that could have flipped the outcome of the match.
 
The fours featured Allie Cataldo and Sadie Shipman, and they finished right after the Gaels got that first point. The finals for the SMC fourth pair were 21-17 and 21-15, and neither set got away from the Gaels. Once again, the third pair that had Karmin Brown and Hannah Couch lined up together was effective. They were able to take the second set against Stanford with a final of 21-17, but gave up a run in the third set that ultimately helped give Stanford a 15-12 win. That is the fifth match in a row for Brown and Couch that has gone three sets.
 
RESULTS
(2) Hawley Harrer/Daniella Kensinger (SMC) def. Maya Harvey/Maddi Kriz (STAN) 21-19, 21-15
(4) Kelly Belardi/Ashley Vincent (STAN) def. Allie Cataldo/Sadie Shipman (SMC) 21-17, 21-15
(1) Charlie Ekstrom/Kate Reilly (STAN) def. Genevieve Bane/Paola Peralta (SMC) 21-15, 21-8
(5) Kate Bierly/Serena Turner (STAN) def. Megan Chandler Allred/Hailee Garcia (SMC) 21-13, 21-16
(3) Xolani Hodel/Taylor Wilson (STAN) def. Karmin Brown/Hannah Couch (SMC) 21-15, 17-21, 15-12
 
Match 2: Saint Mary's 4, Portland 1
 
In their first West Coast Conference match of the season, Saint Mary's came out hot, winning the first two flights to seize all of the momentum. Hawley Harrer and Daniella Kensinger were lights out in the first set, holding the Portland second pair to just five points, cruising to a two-set victory. Allie Cataldo and Sadie Shipman followed suit with a sweep in the fours, but needed to score 23 points in an exciting second set to secure the win.
 
The clinching win for the Gaels came in the fives, as Megan Chandler and Hailee Garcia wrapped up their official 2023 debut with a win. The final set came down to the end, but the Gaels got the last points and won 21-19 to clinch a team win for SMC. For good measure, Karmin Brown and Hannah Couch closed it out with a two-set victory, including a 21-10 win in the first set. The 4-1 overall team win is the best win for Saint Mary's so far on the season.
 
RESULTS
(2) Hawley Harrer/Daniella Kensinger (SMC) def. Annika Stammberger/Noelani Helm (UP) 21-5, 21-11
(4) Allie Cataldo/Sadie Shipman (SMC) def. Elin Larsson/Sophie Lee (UP) 21-14, 23-21
(1) Jayde Harris/Grace Zilbert (UP) def. Genevieve Bane/Paola Peralta (SMC) 21-18, 21-17
(5) Megan Chandler Allred/Hailee Garcia (SMC) def. Charity Bradley/Keilani Mumolo (UP) 21-15, 21-19
(3) Karmin Brown/Hannah Couch (SMC) def. Taylor Helle/Brodie Baker (UP) 21-10, 21-14
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels will stay on that side of the Bay for their next day of competition, which takes place on Saturday at the Big West Coast. Saint Mary's will play three times over the course of the day, with matches against Pacific, San Francisco, and UC Davis on tap. The first two of those matches will be West Coast Conference games, a further test of who the Gaels might see later in the season in Santa Monica.