Photo by: SMC Athletics / Brian Brownfield
VB | Foreign Tour 2023 – Day 4
6/16/2023 10:16:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
RICHMOND, British Columbia — Friday's itinerary was a bit different than the first three days of Saint Mary's volleyball's adventure in Canada. After having the afternoons free with practices in the morning, the Gaels were off in the morning and early afternoon before their first exhibition match against Canada's NextGen team on Friday night. The Gaels were up to the test, coming out and winning the first set before dropping the next three sets in a 3-1 defeat.
With the morning at their leisure, some student-athletes decided to sleep in and cook up a late breakfast in their homes. Others decided to make a small trip to Steveston, a quaint fishing village south of Richmond where the Gaels are staying. The city has a ton of history, and was the main filming site for ABC's hit show Once Upon a Time. Rain was in the forecast, but it held off long enough for the Gaels to enjoy some shopping and a waterfront lunch before returning to Richmond in preparation of the match.
Head Coach Rob Browning spoke with the team before the match about what it was going to take to be competitive against a team like NextGen. "We have to learn how to play with an edge," he stated in the pregame huddle. "It's easier sometimes when you have some external motivation. Champions learn how to get that edge on command. The other team needs to feel that edge."
It was clear from the start of the match that Saint Mary's was playing with an edge against a team affiliated with the Canadian National Team, and the skill level was not much different. The Gaels were in control for much of the first set and put the nail in the coffin during the final point, winning the opening set 25-21 despite a brief comeback attempt from NextGen. There was a ton of energy and excitement from the SMC sideline after winning that first set, and it carried over into the second set.
The second set followed a very similar pattern to the first, where the Gaels were in the lead and seemed poised to take a 2-0 lead. That's when Canada turned a corner late in the set, pulling even with the score at 21-21, and eventually winning the final two points, taking down the Gaels 25-23 to even the match at 1-1.
That momentum carried over early for NextGen in the third set, where Canada opened up a 10-2 lead over Saint Mary's. After a timeout to rally the troops, the Gaels came storming back, pulling within 12-9 before Canada needed a timeout of their own. The home team got back in control for a while, but another SMC run highlighted by a Hannah Taylor block tied the score at 17-17, amazing considering where the Gaels were just minutes prior. It was again tied at 20-20 and once more at 23-23 before NextGen again got the final two points to win 25-23.
It looked like the Gaels were going to force a fifth set, as they took the lead early and seemed to have a stranglehold on the set. Saint Mary's was closing in on victory, with a 23-18 lead, before Canada came storming back. They scored the next five points to tie the score 23-23, and that's when the teams trading points until NextGen scored the last two to win 28-26, securing a four-set victory in which all three of their wins were by only two points.
"It was a good experience and I think we learned a lot," coach Browning told the team following the match. "We were presented with some good challenges and you responded well, especially in battling back in those last sets. We are a better team right now than we were before the match, and that's always important."
One of the more unique aspects to Friday is the Instagram takeover by Hailee Garcia, who is posting content directly to @wccsports via their Instagram story. As such, Garcia stopped by for a postgame interview that was streamed live to their channel, where she offered her thoughts on the first exhibition match of the foreign tour.
"Scrimmaging them yesterday really eased our nerves," Garcia explained. "We came out today guns blazing and it was incredible, we had a bit of an edge early on. We were resilient all night long and there was a lot of really great volleyball."
With five days until the next exhibition against Canada's NextGen team, the Gaels will enjoy a weekend with no volleyball responsibilities. The team will spend Saturday exploring Whistler, which features a bevy of outdoor options for the team to indulge in. Sunday will be spent in downtown Vancouver.
"That match was a little hard on our bodies, so it will be a lot of fun getting to explore downtown Vancouver, sightsee and everything," Garcia said with a smile on her face.
With the morning at their leisure, some student-athletes decided to sleep in and cook up a late breakfast in their homes. Others decided to make a small trip to Steveston, a quaint fishing village south of Richmond where the Gaels are staying. The city has a ton of history, and was the main filming site for ABC's hit show Once Upon a Time. Rain was in the forecast, but it held off long enough for the Gaels to enjoy some shopping and a waterfront lunch before returning to Richmond in preparation of the match.
Head Coach Rob Browning spoke with the team before the match about what it was going to take to be competitive against a team like NextGen. "We have to learn how to play with an edge," he stated in the pregame huddle. "It's easier sometimes when you have some external motivation. Champions learn how to get that edge on command. The other team needs to feel that edge."
It was clear from the start of the match that Saint Mary's was playing with an edge against a team affiliated with the Canadian National Team, and the skill level was not much different. The Gaels were in control for much of the first set and put the nail in the coffin during the final point, winning the opening set 25-21 despite a brief comeback attempt from NextGen. There was a ton of energy and excitement from the SMC sideline after winning that first set, and it carried over into the second set.
The second set followed a very similar pattern to the first, where the Gaels were in the lead and seemed poised to take a 2-0 lead. That's when Canada turned a corner late in the set, pulling even with the score at 21-21, and eventually winning the final two points, taking down the Gaels 25-23 to even the match at 1-1.
That momentum carried over early for NextGen in the third set, where Canada opened up a 10-2 lead over Saint Mary's. After a timeout to rally the troops, the Gaels came storming back, pulling within 12-9 before Canada needed a timeout of their own. The home team got back in control for a while, but another SMC run highlighted by a Hannah Taylor block tied the score at 17-17, amazing considering where the Gaels were just minutes prior. It was again tied at 20-20 and once more at 23-23 before NextGen again got the final two points to win 25-23.
It looked like the Gaels were going to force a fifth set, as they took the lead early and seemed to have a stranglehold on the set. Saint Mary's was closing in on victory, with a 23-18 lead, before Canada came storming back. They scored the next five points to tie the score 23-23, and that's when the teams trading points until NextGen scored the last two to win 28-26, securing a four-set victory in which all three of their wins were by only two points.
"It was a good experience and I think we learned a lot," coach Browning told the team following the match. "We were presented with some good challenges and you responded well, especially in battling back in those last sets. We are a better team right now than we were before the match, and that's always important."
One of the more unique aspects to Friday is the Instagram takeover by Hailee Garcia, who is posting content directly to @wccsports via their Instagram story. As such, Garcia stopped by for a postgame interview that was streamed live to their channel, where she offered her thoughts on the first exhibition match of the foreign tour.
"Scrimmaging them yesterday really eased our nerves," Garcia explained. "We came out today guns blazing and it was incredible, we had a bit of an edge early on. We were resilient all night long and there was a lot of really great volleyball."
With five days until the next exhibition against Canada's NextGen team, the Gaels will enjoy a weekend with no volleyball responsibilities. The team will spend Saturday exploring Whistler, which features a bevy of outdoor options for the team to indulge in. Sunday will be spent in downtown Vancouver.
"That match was a little hard on our bodies, so it will be a lot of fun getting to explore downtown Vancouver, sightsee and everything," Garcia said with a smile on her face.
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