OGDEN, Utah — Saint Mary's (3-0) put an exclamation point at the end of their road trip to Ogden, defeating Wildcat Invitational host Weber State (2-1) in five sets. The Gaels needed every one of their student-athletes to fire on all cylinders in what would be their toughest matchup of the young 2023 campaign, and they got just that, as the Gaels were able to hold off their foes en route to winning the Wildcat Invitational Tournament Title.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
The first four sets of this contest were a back-and-forth affair, with neither team ever fully seizing momentum for a prolonged period of the match. Coming off of dropping a tight fourth set, the Gaels needed to set the tone early in the decisive fifth set, and did just that. Saint Mary's took 10 of the first 15 points, with newcomer Hannah Taylor leading the charge with two kills and a block in that stretch. With a comfortable five point cushion, the Gaels were able to play freely and cruise to victory in the final set, 15-9. The fifth set performance was arguably the best set of volleyball the Gaels have put together on this young campaign, tallying 12 kills on 20 attempts with no errors for a 0.600 hitting percentage.
UNBLEMISHED ERLAND
For the third consecutive match, middle blocker Kristen Erland went without committing an attack error. The junior out of El Segundo is getting better by the match. After combining for 13 kills on 21 swings in her first two matches of the season, Erland exploded for 13 kills on 19 swings in today's victory. Erland is not hitting at a stellar 0.650 clip through the first three matches of the season.
DAZZLING DEFENSE
The defensive prowess of this Gael squad was on display at the net and on the back row this afternoon. Up front, the Gaels totalled a season-high 11 blocks, led by Clarissa Klein (2 block solos, 4 block assists). On the back row, libero Makenna Joyce put up the third highest dig total of her career, coming up with 24 of the Gaels 71 team digs. Joining Joyce with double-figure digs were Genevieve Bane (15) and Abby Castillon (12).
THE LINE GIVETH, THE LINE TAKETH AWAY
The Gaels made their serves count today, rattling off nine service aces against the Wildcats. Abby Castillon led the Gael servers with three to her name. Saint Mary's was also the beneficiary of more than a few errant services from Weber State, who gave the Gaels nine points on service errors. In tight, five set contests like this one, serving performance can often make a major difference in the score, as it did in this one.
WEARING OUT THEIR WELCOME
Coming into today's match, both Saint Mary's and Wildcat Invitational host Weber State were unbeaten. Both the Gaels and Wildcats took care of business yesterday against Manhattan College and Utah Tech, making today's contest one to decide the Wildcat Invitational Champions. Despite taking on the host team, the Gaels were unphased, continuing to play their brand of volleyball, defeating the Wildcats on their home floor to take the tournament title. This marks the second time in three seasons that the Gaels have won a season opening tournament in enemy territory, as they won all three matches in the 2021 Rumble in the Rockies, hosted by the University of Wyoming. The Gaels will hope to have similar success in two neutral site tournaments in 2023, as they will take part in the Santa Clara Mission Classic (Sep. 8 - 9) and the Mustang Invitational (Sep. 15 - 16) later this season.
AMONG OTHER NUMBERS
Five Gaels tallied double-digit kills today, headlined once again by Kjersti Strong (15). Ella Sandt and Hailee Garcia became the first setting duo in over five years to each tally over 30 assists in the contest. Genevieve Bane picked up her first double-double of 2023 with 14 kills and 15 digs.
UP NEXT
The Gaels will return home to take on Southern Utah (Sep. 1) and Portland State (Sep. 2) before hitting the road to face off with Sacramento State (Sep. 4) over Labor Day Weekend. The weekend will get started against the the Thunderbirds of Southern Utah, who are off to a 2-1 start to their young season. First serve for Friday night's match is set for 7:00 PM.
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