MORAGA, Calif. — The 2022-23 beach volleyball season for Saint Mary's is winding down and the regular season will close out at the end of this week. Four more regular season matches are scheduled for SMC, beginning with a West Coast Conference match against Santa Clara at their place on Wednesday, April 19. The Gaels will then play two neutral site games against ranked teams at Stanford on Friday before coming home for Senior Day at 1 pm on Saturday.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (12-15, 5-2) at Santa Clara Broncos (15-11, 5-3)
Wednesday, April 19 at 4:00 pm
Malley Beach Volleyball Courts – Santa Clara, Calif.
 
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. #7 Grand Canyon Lopes (20-5)/#9 Cal Golden Bears (23-6)
Friday, April 21 beginning at 10:00 am
Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium – Stanford, Calif.
 
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Sierra College Wolverines (9-3)
Saturday, April 22 at 1:00 pm
SMC Beach Volleyball Courts – Moraga, Calif.
Live Results
 
LAST TIME OUT
Last week was a strong week for the Gaels, who went 3-1 on their home sand, including a pair of victories on Thursday. They hosted by San Jose State and Sacramento State on Thursday and won both matches 4-1, pulling ahead early and never looking back. The week ended with home contests against #9 Cal and Cabrillo College, where Saint Mary's fell 5-0 to Cal before coming back and beating Cabrillo 5-0 to cap off the week. All five pairs for the Gaels went at least 2-2 on the week, with their top flight, threes, and fives all going 3-1.
 
WHAT'S LEFT
After the regular season finishes, the Gaels will prepare for the annual West Coast Conference Championships, taking place in Santa Monica on April 27-28. Gaels fans might have already gotten a brief preview of what to expect at the championships, as the Gaels took second place in the West Coast Challenge on March 25-26, upsetting then-#18 Pepperdine for a spot in the championship match. Actively, LMU is ranked fifth in the country, and the Gaels lost twice to them in Santa Cruz, so that might be the toughest team to get past. Pepperdine is now ranked 20^th in the country.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
Santa Clara has a better record than Saint Mary's, but their schedule hasn't been nearly as tough as the one that SMC has played. They have only played four ranked teams on the year, going 0-4 in those matches, but 15-7 against the rest of the field. No. 7 Grand Canyon is a threat to win the national championship, with just five losses on the year. All five of those losses came against teams that are actively ranked inside the top-five in the country. The Gaels just lost to No. 9 Cal on Saturday, as they get prepared for the Pac-12 Championships. Sierra College will be taking on a Division I program for the first time this season, going 9-3 so far in their season.