MORAGA, Calif. — The Saint Mary's Gaels (3-4) victory over the Air Force Falcons (1-8) felt a little sweeter than other sweeps. Not only was it in front of their home fans, but it washed away the bitter taste of their first ever loss to Air Force a year ago. The Gaels made quick work of the Falcons, picking up their second sweep of the season, and earning their third consecutive victory including their first home W of 2024.
The Gaels got better with each set in this one, tallying at least 15 kills in each frame. Set one opened on a 6-1 run that the Gaels would never look back from. Air Force attempted a late comeback with a 4-0 run of their own to bring the score to 24-23, but an error by the Falcons would send us to set two with a 1-0 Gael lead. Abby Castillon led the Gaels attack with four kills, while Katherine Gee racked up 11 digs defensively.
Set two was a much more back and forth affair, with Air Force taking an early 5-3 lead. Each team traded blows, with the match remaining level at 22 apiece, the ninth tied score of the frame. Three quick points for the Gaels, sparked by a Tessa Schouten kill, would once again allow the Gaels to take a narrow set victory, and gave them the opportunity to polish off a sweep. Again, Castillon dazzled, this time with six kills on eight swings and no errors. Gee was once again the defensive star with nine digs.
The Gaels hit a whopping 0.344 in the final frame, never trailing, and cruising to a 25-14 victory for the match. Castiilon polished off her career night with four more kills on five swings and no errors, while Clarissa Klein added four kills in the third set as well. Gee continued to be everywhere on the court, with another nine digs.
It was a night to remember for Abby Castillon, who tallied a career best 14 kills to just one error, hitting at a 0.448 clip. Hailee Garcia went for a 19 assists, 18 dig double-double, while Madi Zorn chipped in 17 assists. The Gaels totalled six service aces, with Genevieve Bane continuing to lead the team with two. Tessa Schouten logged her first two career solo blocks, but defensively, the biggest story was Katherine Gee, who's 29 digs were the ninth most in program history for a three set match. The Gaels 0.274 clip was their best hitting percentage of the season, while their 70 digs tied for the third most in program history in a three set match.
ALL ABOUT ABBY
Abby Castillon put up a career night offensively. Not only did the junior out of Modesto tally a career high 14 kills, but she also did so incredibly efficiently, on just 29 swings with on attack error. Abby also finished third on the team with eight digs and was one of five Gaels who recorded at least one service ace. Castillon really left her mark in the second set, where she went for six of her 14 kills on eight swings with no errors, and recorded half of her eight digs.
GEE, GARCIA LEAD MASSIVE DEFENSIVE EFFORT
The Gaels put up 70 digs in tonight's three set contest, something that has only been done four times in program history. Leading the way was libero Katherine Gee. The junior transfer tallied a career-high 29, now averaging 4.3 digs per set on the year. That number is good for second currently in the WCC. Hailee Garcia also had a massive defensive performance, with a career high 18 digs. That surpassed her previous best of 16, set a little over a week ago against Cal. Having these two operate in the form they did tonight should equate to quite a few wins for the Gaels this season.
BLOCKING FIRSTS
While the Gaels only recorded three total blocks tonight, all three came with implications for the athletes that recorded them. In set two, freshman Tessa Schouten recorded not just one, but her first two collegiate block solos. Also in the second set, fellow freshman Gracie Vohs notched her first collegiate block, pairing with Kaliko Kealoha for the roof.
QUOTABLE
"It felt really good to get this victory and to do so quickly with three games coming up this weekend. We got a great set of practices under our belts, especially coming back from Fullerton. We are ready to go and we are pushing ourselves every practice. I couldn't have done it without my girls, we all stepped up tonight!" – Outside Hitter
Abby Castillon
UP NEXT…
The Gaels will have a quick turn around, taking on Seattle University tomorrow at 6 PM inside UCU Pavilion.
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