MORAGA, Calif — Saint Mary's beach volleyball played their first home matches of the 2023 spring season on Friday, under surprisingly sunny skies. While still chilly outside, the Gaels provided a lot of entertainment to the fans who showed up, winning a thriller against Utah 3-2 in the final flight before dropping one in a similar fashion to UC Davis 3-2. After Friday's results, Saint Mary's is 6-8 on the season.
 
Match 1: Saint Mary's 3, Utah 2
 
The morning got off to a great start for Saint Mary's, with Karmin Brown and Hannah Couch doing what they do best: winning in three sets. They dropped the opening set by four points but came back with fire in the next two sets. They won the second set 21-13 and 15-7 to get the first point of the day for the Gaels.
 
Two losses followed for the Gaels in the third and fifth flights, but Hawley Harrer and Daniella Kensinger got the Gaels back on track. Harrer and Kensinger dominated the first set 21-10, then saw a big early lead evaporate in the second set, before coming back to win a thriller with a final of 21-19. That tied the score at 2-2 and turned all eyes to the fourth flight, with Sadie Shipman and Allie Cataldo taking center stage for SMC.
 
The two engaged in a great battle with the fourth pair for Utah, with the first sets flipping back and forth to finals of 21-19 Utah and 21-18 Saint Mary's. In the fifth set, the score was tight early, but Shipman and Cataldo used a big run to pull ahead and eventually close out the Utes with a final of 15-9.
 
RESULTS
(2) Karmin Brown/Hannah Couch (SMC) def. Grace Andrews/Marissa Koch (UU) 17-21, 21-13, 15-7
(3) Abby Karich/Bella Vezzani (UU) def. Genevieve Bane/Paola Peralta (SMC) 21-12, 21-16
(5) Sonja Wessel/Savannah Cottam (UU) def. Angie Bour/Hailee Garcia (SMC) 14-21, 21-17, 15-11
(1) Hawley Harrer/Daniella Kensinger (SMC) def. Amaya Messier/Katie McAlister (UU) 21-10, 21-19
(4) Sadie Shipman/Allie Cataldo (SMC) def. Kylie Pitzak/Sydney Jacinto (UU) 19-21, 21-18, 15-9
(6) Chloe Narancich/Azure McOmber (UU) def. Grace Travis/Cameron Martinez (SMC) 13-21, 21-14, 15-12 (exhibition)
 
Match 2: UC Davis 3, Saint Mary's 2
 
The second match of the day felt like it was following the same script as the first one, where the two teams split the opening four flights, and it came down to the last pair. Karmin Brown and Hannah Couch were winners again, bumped up into the twos, with scores of 21-12 and 21-16, which tied the score at 1-1 overall. In the top flight, Hawley Harrer and Daniella Kensinger won again with scores of 21-16 and 21-16 to make it 2-2 overall, setting the stage on the main court for the deciding flight.
 
Genevieve Bane and Paola Peralta were in the threes and tasked with winning the match for Saint Mary's, but despite a great effort in the second set, they fell flat to the Aggies, losing by scores of 21-11 and 21-15, giving the win to UC Davis. Still, it was an improvement for the Gaels, who lost 4-1 to UC Davis six days ago. Brown/Couch and Harrer/Kensinger were able to get wins in matches they lost previously.
 
RESULTS
(5) Sydney Rau-Kim/Alicia Letvin (UCD) def. Angie Bour/Hailee Garcia (SMC) 21-15, 21-18
(3) Karmin Brown/Hannah Couch (SMC) def. Mia Olen/Megan Luly (UCD) 21-12, 21-16
(4) Morgan Coolbaugh/Sam Lazenby (UCD) def. Allie Cataldo/Sadie Shipman (SMC) 21-14, 21-11
(1) Hawley Harrer/Daniella Kensinger (SMC) def. Tabitha Mitchell/Finley Rollins (UCD) 21-16, 21-16
(2) Colleen McGuire/Kylie Miller (UCD) def. Genevieve Bane/Paola Peralta (SMC) 21-11, 21-15
(6) Emma Johnson/Julia Bodor (UCD) def Megan Chandler Allred/Hannah Glick (SMC) 12-21, 21-12, 15-12 (exhibition)
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will have a light week next week, with just one match on tap in Berkeley against the Cal Golden Bears. Cal is ranked inside the top-15 in the AVCA, marking the first time since March 1 that the Gaels will face a ranked team. First serve is scheduled for Saturday, March 18 at 9:00 am.