SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — After a strong match yesterday against 19th ranked Arkansas, Saint Mary's Volleyball (0-2) took the court looking for victory number one of 2024 against Cal Poly (2-0). The Gaels came out of the gates hot, building a 20-15 lead in set one, but were outscored 60-30 from that point, as the Mustangs remained unbeaten on their home court to open the year. 

Hannah Taylor was once again the standout for SMC. Not only did the senior opposite reach double figures in kills for the second time in as many matches this season, but she also did so at an extremely efficient clip, hitting at 0.435 for the match. Hailee Garcia accounted for 20 of the Gaels 26 assists on the day, while a quartet of Saint Mary's athletes (Genevieve Bane, Abby Castillon, Madi Zorn and Natalie Peete) each recorded a service ace. Katherine Gee once again led the Gaels back row with seven digs, while Tessa Schouten got her hands on the first three blocks of her collegiate career. 

EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE 
Hannah Taylor again proved that she's ready to be a focal point for this Gaels squad. After logging a career-high 18 kills against Arkansas yesterday, the senior out of Yuba City was the lone SMC player to reach double-digit kills today, with 12. Even more impressively, Taylor did so on 23 swings with just two errors for a 0.435 clip. To open the season, Taylor now leads the squad with 30 kills while hitting at a team-best 0.253. 

WELCOME TO THE 500 CLUB
With her fourth kill early in the first set of this one, Genevieve Bane reached the 500 kill mark for her Saint Mary's career, doing so in 56 matches as a Gael. She is the first Gael to reach 500 kills since Hawley Harrer did it in the 2022 season. 

UP NEXT
The Gaels will host UC Davis on 9/7 for their home opener. First serve is set for 3 PM inside UCU Pavilion. 

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