MORAGA, Calif. — The wait is finally over, as Saint Mary's Volleyball gets set to open their season this upcoming Labor Day weekend, taking on 19th ranked Arkansas on Friday, 8/30 at 2 PM and host Cal Poly on Saturday, 8/31 at 10 AM as part of the Mustang Invitational. The two contests should be good early tests for a Gaels squad that brings in seven newcomers to their 2024 squad.
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels vs #19 Arkansas Razorbacks
Friday, August 30 at 2 PM
Mott Athletic Center – San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Live Stats
Saint Mary's Gaels at Cal Poly Mustangs
Saturday, August 31 at 10 AM
Mott Athletic Center – San Luis Obispo, Calif.
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Live Stats
AN EARLY LOOK
Saint Mary's took to the court this past Tuesday evening for an exhibition against Cal State East Bay, and had some standout performances in their first action against another school on the 2024 season. Preseason All-WCC honoree Genevieve Bane stole the show with 18 kills on 36 swings and just three errors (0.417 hitting percentage), while also leading the Gaels with four service aces in the scheduled five sets. Returner Hannah Taylor and true freshman Kaliko Kealoha also joined the double digit kill party, with 14 and 10 respectively. Kealoha hit at a stellar 0.529 clip, and also got her hands on a pair of blocks. Returning setter Hailee Garcia tallied 40 assists to go along with three aces, while defensively, the libero duo of Katherine Gee and Natalie Peete went for 17 and 10 digs respectively.
ABOUT THE RAZORBACKS
The 19th ranked team in the country to start the season, the Arkansas Razorback, are coming off of an Elite Eight run, eventually being bounced by National Runner-Up Nebraska. Jason Watson enters his ninth season as the Razorbacks Head Coach, tallying 332 wins in that time. The Razorbacks went 28-6 last season and finished second in the SEC, behind only Kentucky, who they would go onto beat in the Sweet 16. Coach Waston earned a share of the SEC Coach of the Year Award, while three Arkansas Student Athletes earned All-SEC honors. Setter Hannah Hogue was one of those players, who will be back in Fayetteville for her senior season. Other returning standouts include middle blockers Sania Petties and Zoi Evans, as well as libero Courtney Jackson. While the team lost all of their starting outsides from a season ago, they hit the transfer portal to add Romani Thurman from North Carolina to lead a group of young, talented outsides. The Gaels and Razorbacks have squared off twice in years past, with the Gaels winning their first all-time meeting in 1994, but dropping their most recent meeting in 2005.
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
A more local foe, Cal Poly is coming off of a strong 21-11 campaign that saw them finish tied for second in the Big West conference with Hawaii. It was Head Coach Caroline Walters second 20+ win season, as she now heads into her fifth season at the helm of the Cal Poly squad. All three of the Mustangs All-Big West honorees, Tommi Stockham (1st Team), Lizzy Markovska (2nd Team) and Emme Bullis (Honorable Mention) are back in the fold in San Luis Obispo in 2024, as the team lost just one starter from a season ago, libero Jolei Akima (now at San Francisco). A season ago, the Mustangs bested the Gaels in this same tournament, overcoming an early 2-0 SMC lead to win in five. Overall, Cal Poly leads the series over the Gaels 10-5.
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