Saturday, October 11
Moraga, CA
5:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
4-13,2-4WCC
3
vs
2
Santa Clara
8-9,3-3WCC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Santa Clara
19
25
20
25
10
2
Saint Mary's (CA)
25
23
25
17
15
3
Tessa Schouten (2): 8 Kills (Ties Career-High), 3 Blocks, 1 Ace
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
VB | Gaels Notch Second Straight Five Set Thriller Win, Down Santa Clara at Home
10/11/2025 9:21:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
MORAGA, Calif. — The Saint Mary's Gaels (4-13, 2-4 WCC) kept momentum rolling after Thursday's road win, picking up their first win inside UCU Pavilion this season, defeating Santa Clara (8-9, 3-3 WCC) in a five set thriller. This is the first time the Gaels have picked up consecutive wins this season, as they continue to show growth by the match under the guidance of first year head coach Tyler Hildebrand.
Playing as if charged by Thursday's win, the Gaels jumped out to an early 14-7 lead, due in big part to a pair of kills and an ace from Tessa Schouten. That cushion was enough for the Gaels to slide out their way to an opening frame victory, 25-19. Schouten finished the set with four kills on seven swings, while Mya Allen and Abby Castillon each added three kills. The Gaels back row was stellar, with 18 digs in the first set, including five from libero Alayna Pearson, helping hold the Broncos to just a 0.114 attack clip.
The Gaels and Broncos matched one another for the first eight points of the set, but a brief 3-0 run would put Santa Clara in the driver's seat for the second frame. The Gaels would claw their way back ahead, charged by three blocks by Anaya Thrower as part of an 8-4 run, but another long Bronco service run would put them ahead for good, as they would draw level in the match with a tight 25-23 set two win. Mya Allen remained error-less through set two, with five more kills on 10 swings. Genevieve Bane also had five kills in the set, but the defense is what kept the Gaels close in set two, with five more digs from Alayna Pearson, and four total blocks, all off the hands of Thrower.
Both teams looked re-energized coming out of the five minute break between sets two and three, and through the first 20 points, the score was knotted at 10 all. A Madi Zorn dump kill would push Saint Mary's ahead 11-10, sparking a 5-1 swing for the Gaels that Santa Clara would be unable to recover from, falling in the third 25-20. Again it was Mya Allen and Genvieve Bane guiding the ship for the Gaels, combining for six of their 13 kills in the frame, while defensively, it was Ivona Lazovic's turn to be the star with five digs to go along with four assists.
In set four, the Broncos played like a team with their backs against the wall, scoring on eight of the first 10 points, and while the Gaels got hot late in the frame, cutting the deficit from 10 to six, they would ultimately fall 25-17, forcing a decisive fifth for the second straight contest. Mya Allen continued to add to impressive kill total with three more in the fourth. Midway through the set, the Gaels shifted to a 5-1 with Madi Zorn as the setter, and she put up a solid performance, with nine assists and five digs, second only to Alayna Pearson's six in the frame.
Just like Thursday night in Stockton, the Gaels took an 8-6 lead into the media break, but unlike their last match, Saint Mary's took care of business before bonus volleyball needed to be played, outscoring Santa Clara 7-4 down the stretch to clinch the victory. Veteran Genevieve Bane carried the Gaels across the finish line with four kills and two blocks in the deciding set.
Mya Allen led the Gaels in kills tonight with 16 to go along with a career-high five blocks. It was the first time that Allen has gone for double digit kills in a home match. Finishing not far behind Allen was Genevieve Bane, who wrapped up her evening with 14 kills and, like Allen, had a career-high in blocks with seven. Madi Zorn led the setting effort for the second straight match with 24 assists, while Ivona Lazovic finished up with 22 to go along with a pair of aces and 12 digs. Abby Castillon continued to look strong as ever from the service line with three aces, and also tallied seven kills and 10 digs. The Gaels digs leader was Alayna Pearson with 20, while Anaya Thrower continued her stellar defensive play at the net with five more blocks, helping the Gaels to 12 total blocks for the second straight match after not recording more than eight in a match through the first 15 contests of the year.
THE HITTERS CAN BLOCK…
Saint Mary's tallied 12 blocks for the second straight match, with a pair of their pin hitters, Mya Allen and Genevieve Bane heavily involved in the blocking effort. Both Bane and Allen set career-high marks in blocking tonight. Bane went for seven after not surpassing five since her freshman campaign. Allen chipped in five, besting her previous high of three set in the home opener last week vs San Diego. Both Allen and Bane each had a pair of solo stuffs, helping out their middle blockers if a blocking pass was late.
…THE BLOCKERS CAN HIT
With the Gaels pins doing heavy lifting at the net defensively, Saint Mary's middle blockers, Tessa Schouten and Anaya Thrower were more available to get involved in the attacking effort. Schouten matched her career-high with eight kills, and set a new career mark with 22 swings in tonight's match. Anaya Thrower set a new career-high with six kills, and was ultra efficient, converting those six on just 12 swings, and one error, for a team-high 0.417 clip. Combined with their blocking tallies tonight, Schouten and Thrower gave the Gaels 19 points of production in the victory.
WEEK IN REVIEW
For the first time this season, Saint Mary's went unbeaten over the span of a week, and had some key standout performances that helped lead to that. Mya Allen put together 31 kills over the two matches this week to lead the charge for Saint Mary's. Genevieve Bane, now playing as an opposite, complemented Allen nicely, with 29 kills, and a solid 0.294 clip, converting those kills on fewer swings and with fewer errors. Continuing to run a 6-2, it was Madi Zorn who had the most productive week from the setter positions, going for 56 assists and a pair of swipe kills on four attempts. Abby Castillon got the nod at full rotation outside hitter and did a bit of everything with 17 kills, a team-high six aces, and 21 digs (tied for the team-high). The Gaels dressed two different liberos for this week's two matches, with both rising to the occasion. Natalie Peete had 21 digs in the win over Pacific, while Alayna Pearson had 20 tonight against Santa Clara. Blocking was once again the story for the Gaels, who had not surpassed eight rejections in a match heading into this week, but went for 12 in each contest this week. Anaya Thrower led the way, getting her hands on 12 individually, while Genevieve Bane was involved in 11 over the two matches.
COACHES CORNER
UP NEXT
The Gaels will be off for a week before returning to road action, heading to Spokane to take on Gonzaga. First serve for the Saturday afternoon contest is set for noon on October 18.
DON'T MISS OUT ON HOME VOLLEYBALL ACTION. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE.
#GaelsRise
Playing as if charged by Thursday's win, the Gaels jumped out to an early 14-7 lead, due in big part to a pair of kills and an ace from Tessa Schouten. That cushion was enough for the Gaels to slide out their way to an opening frame victory, 25-19. Schouten finished the set with four kills on seven swings, while Mya Allen and Abby Castillon each added three kills. The Gaels back row was stellar, with 18 digs in the first set, including five from libero Alayna Pearson, helping hold the Broncos to just a 0.114 attack clip.
S1 | SMC 1 - SCU 0
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 12, 2025
Kill by Tessa Schouten to start the scoring for the Gaels!#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/5JOtDAmXyB
SMC 9 - SCU 4
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 12, 2025
Long rally goes the way of the Gaels 🔥#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/ilGgCIHzTn
The Gaels and Broncos matched one another for the first eight points of the set, but a brief 3-0 run would put Santa Clara in the driver's seat for the second frame. The Gaels would claw their way back ahead, charged by three blocks by Anaya Thrower as part of an 8-4 run, but another long Bronco service run would put them ahead for good, as they would draw level in the match with a tight 25-23 set two win. Mya Allen remained error-less through set two, with five more kills on 10 swings. Genevieve Bane also had five kills in the set, but the defense is what kept the Gaels close in set two, with five more digs from Alayna Pearson, and four total blocks, all off the hands of Thrower.
S2 | SMC 14 - SCU 16
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 12, 2025
Gaels are in control of the rallies today, winning another one with a Mya Allen kill!#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/vzFaJEL2Rn
S 2| SMC 22 - SCU 23
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 12, 2025
Block by Anaya Thrower sends Santa Clara into calling a timeout. ⏰#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/WVidymMnsU
Both teams looked re-energized coming out of the five minute break between sets two and three, and through the first 20 points, the score was knotted at 10 all. A Madi Zorn dump kill would push Saint Mary's ahead 11-10, sparking a 5-1 swing for the Gaels that Santa Clara would be unable to recover from, falling in the third 25-20. Again it was Mya Allen and Genvieve Bane guiding the ship for the Gaels, combining for six of their 13 kills in the frame, while defensively, it was Ivona Lazovic's turn to be the star with five digs to go along with four assists.
S 3| SMC 5 - SCU 6
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 12, 2025
Mya Allen with the shocking back row kill! 🙀#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/BPPP8iwNSk
E3 | SMC 25- SCU 20
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 12, 2025
Mya Allen's kill closes out set 3 with an SMC victory! Saint Mary's looks to close it out in set 4. 🔥#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/L26aUfLU40
In set four, the Broncos played like a team with their backs against the wall, scoring on eight of the first 10 points, and while the Gaels got hot late in the frame, cutting the deficit from 10 to six, they would ultimately fall 25-17, forcing a decisive fifth for the second straight contest. Mya Allen continued to add to impressive kill total with three more in the fourth. Midway through the set, the Gaels shifted to a 5-1 with Madi Zorn as the setter, and she put up a solid performance, with nine assists and five digs, second only to Alayna Pearson's six in the frame.
Just like Thursday night in Stockton, the Gaels took an 8-6 lead into the media break, but unlike their last match, Saint Mary's took care of business before bonus volleyball needed to be played, outscoring Santa Clara 7-4 down the stretch to clinch the victory. Veteran Genevieve Bane carried the Gaels across the finish line with four kills and two blocks in the deciding set.
S 5| SMC 2 - SCU 0
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 12, 2025
Genevieve Bane with back to back kills to start off the 5th set! #GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/rNDlOLF7tB
Mya Allen led the Gaels in kills tonight with 16 to go along with a career-high five blocks. It was the first time that Allen has gone for double digit kills in a home match. Finishing not far behind Allen was Genevieve Bane, who wrapped up her evening with 14 kills and, like Allen, had a career-high in blocks with seven. Madi Zorn led the setting effort for the second straight match with 24 assists, while Ivona Lazovic finished up with 22 to go along with a pair of aces and 12 digs. Abby Castillon continued to look strong as ever from the service line with three aces, and also tallied seven kills and 10 digs. The Gaels digs leader was Alayna Pearson with 20, while Anaya Thrower continued her stellar defensive play at the net with five more blocks, helping the Gaels to 12 total blocks for the second straight match after not recording more than eight in a match through the first 15 contests of the year.
THE HITTERS CAN BLOCK…
Saint Mary's tallied 12 blocks for the second straight match, with a pair of their pin hitters, Mya Allen and Genevieve Bane heavily involved in the blocking effort. Both Bane and Allen set career-high marks in blocking tonight. Bane went for seven after not surpassing five since her freshman campaign. Allen chipped in five, besting her previous high of three set in the home opener last week vs San Diego. Both Allen and Bane each had a pair of solo stuffs, helping out their middle blockers if a blocking pass was late.
…THE BLOCKERS CAN HIT
With the Gaels pins doing heavy lifting at the net defensively, Saint Mary's middle blockers, Tessa Schouten and Anaya Thrower were more available to get involved in the attacking effort. Schouten matched her career-high with eight kills, and set a new career mark with 22 swings in tonight's match. Anaya Thrower set a new career-high with six kills, and was ultra efficient, converting those six on just 12 swings, and one error, for a team-high 0.417 clip. Combined with their blocking tallies tonight, Schouten and Thrower gave the Gaels 19 points of production in the victory.
WEEK IN REVIEW
For the first time this season, Saint Mary's went unbeaten over the span of a week, and had some key standout performances that helped lead to that. Mya Allen put together 31 kills over the two matches this week to lead the charge for Saint Mary's. Genevieve Bane, now playing as an opposite, complemented Allen nicely, with 29 kills, and a solid 0.294 clip, converting those kills on fewer swings and with fewer errors. Continuing to run a 6-2, it was Madi Zorn who had the most productive week from the setter positions, going for 56 assists and a pair of swipe kills on four attempts. Abby Castillon got the nod at full rotation outside hitter and did a bit of everything with 17 kills, a team-high six aces, and 21 digs (tied for the team-high). The Gaels dressed two different liberos for this week's two matches, with both rising to the occasion. Natalie Peete had 21 digs in the win over Pacific, while Alayna Pearson had 20 tonight against Santa Clara. Blocking was once again the story for the Gaels, who had not surpassed eight rejections in a match heading into this week, but went for 12 in each contest this week. Anaya Thrower led the way, getting her hands on 12 individually, while Genevieve Bane was involved in 11 over the two matches.
COACHES CORNER
UP NEXT
The Gaels will be off for a week before returning to road action, heading to Spokane to take on Gonzaga. First serve for the Saturday afternoon contest is set for noon on October 18.
DON'T MISS OUT ON HOME VOLLEYBALL ACTION. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE.
#GaelsRise
Team Stats
SCU
SMC
Kills
58
60
Errors
29
24
Attempts
166
163
Hitting %
.175
.221
Points
70.0
79.0
Assists
53
56
Aces
4
7
Blocks
8
12
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
3
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballS
/ Women's VolleyballL/DS
/ Women's VolleyballL/DS
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballVB | Highlights vs. Santa Clara, 10-11-25
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Saturday, October 11
VB | Highlights at Pacific, 10-9-25
Thursday, October 09
VB | Tyler Hildebrand Presser, 10-6-25
Monday, October 06
