BERKELEY, Calif. — In a battle of East Bay unbeatens, the Saint Mary's Gaels (6-1) made their way to Berkeley on Tuesday evening to take on the Cal Bears (6-0). Saint Mary's quickly fell behind two sets to none, but battled back to take set three and fought hard in set four, eventually falling 3-1 (16-25, 9-25, 25-23, 20-25). Despite the loss, the Gaels ability to adjust after a difficult first two sets was a huge positive, as the team shook off their slow start to play a strong last two sets of volleyball.
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM
After dropping sets one and two, and an extended break between the second and third sets due to a fire alarm going off inside Haas Pavilion, the Gaels looked like a different team in the final two sets of this match. After picking up just 10 kills and committing 15 errors in the first two sets, Saint Mary's would rattle off 11 kills to just two errors in set three, climbing back into the positive for hit percentage and forcing a fourth set. Genevieve Bane and Hannah Taylor each picked up three kills in the third set, while the Gaels tallied five blocks in the set after picking up just three in the first two.
SEVEN KILLS FOR NUMBER SEVEN
Junior Hannah Taylor led the Gaels with seven kills on the evening, while tying a season-low with only two attack errors. The Gaels turned to Taylor late in the match, as she sparked much of the Gaels comeback attempt, with five of her seven kills coming in the latter half of the match.
DOING A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING
Finishing just behind Taylor in kill total with six was Genevieve Bane. The sophomore out of Danville also added 13 digs to lead the Gaels. For good measure, Bane was also involved in two of the Gaels 13 blocks.
ERLAND BEING ERLAND
Kristen Erland continued her incredible demonstration of hit accuracy with yet another errorless performance. Erland finished third on the Gaels with 5 kills on 10 swings, good for a .500 clip. Through the first seven matches of the season, Erland has committed just four attack errors, and is hitting at a team-high .544 attack percentage. Tonight, she also added six blocks, tied with Clarissa Klein and Kjersti Strong for the team lead.
AMONG OTHER NUMBERS
Ella Sandt led the setting front with 14 assists. The Gaels tallied two service aces, one belonging to Kjersti Strong and the other to Hailee Garcia. Abby Castillon and Genevieve Bane tied for the team lead with 13 digs, with Makenna Joyce not far behind with 12.
UP NEXT
The Gaels will take part in the Santa Clara Mission Classic, taking on Cal State Bakersfield (9/8) and the Air Force Academy (9/9). The tournament will open up for Saint Mary's against the Roadrunners Friday night at 5 PM.
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