OGDEN, Utah — The Gaels (2-0) could not have asked for a better start to their 2023 campaign, as they opened up play with a pair of wins at the Wildcat Invitational. Despite these matches serving as the first two of the season, the Gaels looked in midseason form, holding the upper hand for a majority of both of their contests against Manhattan and Utah Tech en route to the 2-0 start. With the wins, the Gaels move to 2-0 to start a season for just the second time in the last decade (2021).
Match 1: Saint Mary's 3, Manhattan 0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-19)
A STRONG START
Returning All-WCC middle blocker Kjersti Strong looked to be in midseason form in just match number one of the 2023 campaign for the Gaels. The senior led the Gaels offensive and defensive attacks against Manhattan with 11 kills and 5 total blocks. Strong also added a service ace to her name in what was a magnificent all-around performance.
THE BANE OF THEIR EXISTENCE
Preseason All-WCC selectee Genevieve Bane reeked havoc on the Jaspers back row today, tallying 9 kills on 11 swings without committing a single attack error. Bane's 0.818 hitting clip from today's contest is the highest of any single match in her Gael career. As if her stellar attacking wasn't enough, Bane also tallied five digs and two blocks, demonstrating her defensive prowess as well.
A LONG AWAITED DEBUT
In her third season with the Saint Mary's Volleyball program, Clarissa Klein was able to make her debut on the hardwood, and did not disappoint. Klein set the tone early for the Gaels, racking up three kills and two total blocks in her first set of collegiate volleyball action. Klein kept that pace throughout the contest, finishing up with eight kills and four total blocks. A veteran within the program, look for Klein to make an impact for the Gaels this year.
WELCOME TO THE 1500 CLUB
Entering this season, setter Ella Sandt needed just three assists to reach 1500 for her career, and she wasted no time reaching that mark in the first set of today's matches. Sandt tallied six assists in the first set alone, racking up 15 in total to go along with nine digs. A calming presence on the court for the Gaels, Sandt's precise setting and stellar defense should be a key to her team's success this year.
BETTER BY THE SET
It took the Gaels just one match in 2023 to accomplish a feat that they only accomplished once in all of 2022; holding an opponent to less than 20 points in every set of a three set sweep. The Gaels did so last against Penn on 9/9/2022. Even more impressive, the Gaels attack got stronger with every set played, seeing their hitting percentage creep from 0.323 in the first set all the way up to 0.381 by the end of the match. The 0.381 attack percentage was also the highest for the Gaels since last year's victory over Penn.
AMONG OTHER NUMBERS
Hailee Garcia led the Gaels with 18 assists in the match, while libero Makenna Joyce was the only Gael with multiple service aces, serving up two of them. The Gaels won the battle at the net, out blocking the Jaspers 8-5.
Match 2: Saint Mary's 3, Utah Tech 1 (25-20, 25-23, 20-25, 25-14)
THE MIGHTY MIDDLES
The Gaels outsized the Trailblazers, and took advantage of that fact by featuring their middle blockers as the focal points of their attack. Kjersti Strong led the Gaels in kills for the second consecutive match, this time tallying 14 kills and 4 blocks over the four set match. Strong also ended the contest in set four with her second service ace of the match. Strong was joined by Kristen Erland in the middle, who put together one of the best matches of her excellent Gael career. Erland tallied 10 kills on 12 swings with no errors, good for an 0.833 attack percentage. On top of her stellar offensive play, Erland added five blocks to lead the Gaels at the net. The dynamic duo combined for 24 of the Gaels 57 kills and 5 of the Gaels 10 team blocks.
QUEENS OF THE COMEBACK
Saint Mary's came from behind against Utah Tech in each of the first two sets, building a commanding 2-0 lead early in this contest. The Gaels fell behind 18-16 in set one before going on a 9-2 run, sparked by a pair of Abby Castillon kills and a pair of Hannah Taylor kills to cap the set at 25-20. Set two saw the Trailblazers build an early 13-10 lead before the Gaels flipped the script to close out the set on a 15-10 run. Kristen Erland sparked the set two run with three late kills, all part of her excellent evening on the court.
SHARING THE WEALTH
Four Gaels registered double-digit kills in this contest. Middle blockers Kjersti Strong and Kristen Erland had 14 and 10 kills respectively. Joining in on the wealth of kills were Abby Castillon and Hannah Taylor, each with 10. Just missing joining the double-digit kill part was Genevieve Bane, who racked up nine kills.
AMONG OTHER NUMBERS
Setter Ella Sandt led the way with 26 assists. Not far behind was Hailee Garcia with 23 to go along with a team-high 3 service aces. Makenna Joyce put together her first double-digit dig showing of the year, coming up with 14. Saint Mary's hit 0.226 as a team to Utah Tech's 0.164, and they out blocked the Trailblazers 10-7.
UP NEXT
The Gaels will close out the Wildcat Invitational tomorrow at 2 PM, as they get set to face off with host Weber State. The Wildcats defeated Utah Tech in five sets, and will take on Manhattan later this evening.
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