Saturday, October 25
Moraga, CA
2:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
7-13,5-4WCC
3
vs
2
Portland
10-10,5-4WCC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Portland
25
15
25
20
12
2
Saint Mary's (CA)
18
25
22
25
15
3
Miley Thunstrom: 12 Kills (Career-High), 9 Digs (Team-High), 1 Ace
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
VB | Cardiac Gaels Strike Again For Fifth Straight Come From Behind Win
10/25/2025 7:16:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
MORAGA, Calif. — You can never count the Saint Mary's Gaels (7-13, 5-4 WCC) out of a fight! Down 1-0, 2-1 and down late in set five to the Portland Pilots (10-10, 5-4 WCC), the Gaels never felt the pressure, as they continued to play their game, and responded to each of those moments of adversity en route to another five set victory, their fifth of the season, and fourth in the last five matches.
Set one saw the Gaels and Pilots battle to a six all draw at the start, but a 7-0 run by the Pilots would push them ahead 12-6, as they would not relinquish the lead, taking set one 25-18. Saint Mary's would close the set on an 8-5 run to capture some momentum, but the deficit was too much to overcome in the opening frame. The Gaels were limited to just nine kills in the opening frame, three coming from Mya Allen, while Abby Castillon came up with seven of the Gaels 13 digs.
After hitting just 0.100 in the opening stanza, the Gaels turned things around by hitting at 0.500 in set two as a team. The Gaels jumped ahead 4-3 in the early goings of the frame, and extended that lead to as many as 11 late, ultimately taking the frame by 10, 25-15, to level things off at a set apiece. Mya Allen tallied five kills and an ace in the frame, however, Gracie Vohs, Miley Thunstrom, Tessa Schouten and Anaya Thrower told the story by combining form nine kills on just 12 swings without an error in the set.
The most tightly contested set of the match, set three featured 13 ties and eight lead changes. A Madi Zorn ace gave the Gaels the inside track to the race to 25, making in 16-14, however Portland would take four of the next five points, and while the Gaels would draw level for a final time at 18 all, the Pilots would close out the set on a 7-4 run to take a commanding 2-1 lead. Mya Allen and Miley Thunstrom led the Gaels for the second straight set with nine of the team's 14 kills.
In need of two straight set victories to keep their winning streak alive, Saint Mary's began their uphill fight. It was tight early again, with both teams scoring six in the first 12 points, but a 3-0 swing for the Gaels would propel them all the way out to an eventual nine point lead at 18-9. Portland would get back as close as within two at 21-19, but the Gaels polished off the set by scoring five of the final six to force a decisive fifth. After a relatively quiet opening three sets, Genevieve Bane broke out in set four with six kills on 11 swings without an error. Miley Thunstrom joined in on the fun with five kills on eight swings and no errors.
While Saint Mary's dominated in set five against Seattle U on Thursday evening, today's fifth set was anything but a cake walk. The Gaels took a narrow 8-7 lead into the switch, and fell behind 11-9 shortly thereafter. A timeout would allow Saint Mary's to regroup, and regroup they did, finishing off the set and the match by scoring 6 of the final seven points to avenge this season's earlier five set loss to the Pilots up north. Saint Mary's went without an error in the final frame, with Mya Allen accounting for five kills on 12 swings and Genevieve Bane going for three kills on six swings.
Mya Allen continued to be absolutely dominant on the attack for the Gaels, leading all players with 18 kills. Allen has now gone for at least 15 kills in each of the last five. The freshman added five digs, a block and an ace for another all around spectacular performance. Miley Thunstrom and Genevieve Bane each chipped in 12 kills, with both hitting over 0.400 for the match. On the defensive side, Bane led the Gaels with six blocks, while Thunstrom managed a team-high nine digs. Both setters Ivona Lazovic and Madi Zorn added a kill and an ace, with the former going for 28 assists and four digs, and the latter going for 16 assists and six digs. The Gaels tallied seven aces as a team, with Abby Castillon being the only player to record two. The aforementioned Thunstrom and Castillon each held a team-best nine digs, with Alayna Pearson finishing just behind those two with eight. The Gaels tallied the same number of kills and aces as they did against the Pilots a month ago, but four more blocks and 12 fewer attack errors were what led the Gaels to a victorious effort this time out.
SHARING THE PASSING WEALTH
Saint Mary's totalled 53 digs in today's match to Portland's 52, but did not have a single player with double-digit digs. Instead, the Gaels had eight different players record at least four digs, leaving no space for the Pilot attackers to find the hardwood. Mikey Thunstrom and Abby Castillon led the way with nine digs each, despite neither appearing in all five sets. Libero Alayna Pearson went for eight, as the Pilots tried to stay away from the outstanding junior defensive specialist for the Gaels. Setter Madi Zorn dug up six attacks, while Tessa Schouten and Mya Allen each went for five. Rounding out the group, Ivona Lazovic and Gracie Vohs each had four. This well rounded defensive effort helped the Gaels hold the Pilots to a hitting percentage 13 points lower than their last meeting.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS
The young guns were on display for the Gaels today, with three of their first year collegiate players leading them to victory. Mya Allen continued her hot streak, finishing up with 18 kills to go along with an ace, a block and five digs. Allen has now tallied 96 kills over the Gaels five match win streak, and leads the team this season averaging 3.37 kills per set. Miley Thunstrom finished second on the team with 12 kills, a new career-high, hitting a team-best 0.417. Thunstrom also led the Gaels with nine digs, one off of her career best. Last, but certainly not least, Ivona Lazovic continued to lead the setting efforts for the Gaels, seeing time as both a 6-2 and 5-1 setter. The Serbian native went for 28 assists, also adding a kill, an ace and four digs.
WEEK IN REVIEW
The Gaels pulled off back-to-back five set wins this week for the second time in the last three weeks. Again, Saint Mary's leaned heavily on freshman outside hitter Mya Allen, who went for 40 kills over the 10 sets on 87 swings. Allen also chipped in a team best five aces and three solo blocks. Genevieve Baen finished second on the attacking front with 29 kills, but also led the team with 11 blocks, giving her 28 over the Gaels five match win streak. Ivona Lazovic led the team with 63 assists, exactly half of the 126 the team tallied for the week, while finishing second on the team with 15 digs. The digs leader for Saint Mary's was Alayna Pearson who totalled 21 in the 10 sets. The Gaels hit at 0.259 for the week, averaging 13 kills per set, while limiting opponents to a 0.237 clip and 11.9 kills per set. They also continued to block well, averaging 2.2 blocks per set, while hold opponents to just 1.9 blocks per set. The Gaels now have a winning record in conference play for the first time since 2023 when they went 10-6 and finished fourth overall in the West Coast Conference standings. They are currently tied for sixth place with Portland, but are just two games out of second.
COACHES CORNER
UP NEXT
The Gaels will hit the road to see Seattle U after downing the Redhawks in five this week. First serve from the Redhawk center is set for 1 PM on Saturday, November 1.
DON'T MISS OUT ON HOME VOLLEYBALL ACTION. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE.
#GaelsRise
Set one saw the Gaels and Pilots battle to a six all draw at the start, but a 7-0 run by the Pilots would push them ahead 12-6, as they would not relinquish the lead, taking set one 25-18. Saint Mary's would close the set on an 8-5 run to capture some momentum, but the deficit was too much to overcome in the opening frame. The Gaels were limited to just nine kills in the opening frame, three coming from Mya Allen, while Abby Castillon came up with seven of the Gaels 13 digs.
Never back down never what?#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/itsm4k1xbC
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 25, 2025
After hitting just 0.100 in the opening stanza, the Gaels turned things around by hitting at 0.500 in set two as a team. The Gaels jumped ahead 4-3 in the early goings of the frame, and extended that lead to as many as 11 late, ultimately taking the frame by 10, 25-15, to level things off at a set apiece. Mya Allen tallied five kills and an ace in the frame, however, Gracie Vohs, Miley Thunstrom, Tessa Schouten and Anaya Thrower told the story by combining form nine kills on just 12 swings without an error in the set.
Mya Allen kills off the block! 🔥#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/gQCfeOowCN
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 25, 2025
Mya Allen servin' up aces ♠️#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/99zZUspAmp
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 25, 2025
The most tightly contested set of the match, set three featured 13 ties and eight lead changes. A Madi Zorn ace gave the Gaels the inside track to the race to 25, making in 16-14, however Portland would take four of the next five points, and while the Gaels would draw level for a final time at 18 all, the Pilots would close out the set on a 7-4 run to take a commanding 2-1 lead. Mya Allen and Miley Thunstrom led the Gaels for the second straight set with nine of the team's 14 kills.
Mya Allen caught air 🤯#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/hdDEgJ6CvT
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 25, 2025
S3 | SMC 15 - POR 14
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 25, 2025
Mya Allen sends the Pilots to another TO halfway through the third set!
She has 12 kills on the day so far 🤩#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/tZKaVJxAIY
In need of two straight set victories to keep their winning streak alive, Saint Mary's began their uphill fight. It was tight early again, with both teams scoring six in the first 12 points, but a 3-0 swing for the Gaels would propel them all the way out to an eventual nine point lead at 18-9. Portland would get back as close as within two at 21-19, but the Gaels polished off the set by scoring five of the final six to force a decisive fifth. After a relatively quiet opening three sets, Genevieve Bane broke out in set four with six kills on 11 swings without an error. Miley Thunstrom joined in on the fun with five kills on eight swings and no errors.
The first point of Set 4 belongs to the Gaels, courtesy of Genevieve Bane!#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/CWCksWR5RL
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 25, 2025
All the way to the back corner for a Miley Thunstrom kill!#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/AigZdw2jlH
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 25, 2025
While Saint Mary's dominated in set five against Seattle U on Thursday evening, today's fifth set was anything but a cake walk. The Gaels took a narrow 8-7 lead into the switch, and fell behind 11-9 shortly thereafter. A timeout would allow Saint Mary's to regroup, and regroup they did, finishing off the set and the match by scoring 6 of the final seven points to avenge this season's earlier five set loss to the Pilots up north. Saint Mary's went without an error in the final frame, with Mya Allen accounting for five kills on 12 swings and Genevieve Bane going for three kills on six swings.
Make that 14 kills for Mya Allen!#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/4LYs9lBd8n
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 25, 2025
FINAL | SMC 3 - POR 2
— Saint Mary's Volleyball (@SMC_Volleyball) October 25, 2025
Mya Allen's 18th kill of the day seals the deal for Gaels, defeating the Pilots in a 15-12 final set ‼️
Miley Thunstrom records a new season high in kills (12), while Genevieve Bane (12) and Gracie Vohs (7) round out the leaders. 😎#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/yXZCa1BgWT
Mya Allen continued to be absolutely dominant on the attack for the Gaels, leading all players with 18 kills. Allen has now gone for at least 15 kills in each of the last five. The freshman added five digs, a block and an ace for another all around spectacular performance. Miley Thunstrom and Genevieve Bane each chipped in 12 kills, with both hitting over 0.400 for the match. On the defensive side, Bane led the Gaels with six blocks, while Thunstrom managed a team-high nine digs. Both setters Ivona Lazovic and Madi Zorn added a kill and an ace, with the former going for 28 assists and four digs, and the latter going for 16 assists and six digs. The Gaels tallied seven aces as a team, with Abby Castillon being the only player to record two. The aforementioned Thunstrom and Castillon each held a team-best nine digs, with Alayna Pearson finishing just behind those two with eight. The Gaels tallied the same number of kills and aces as they did against the Pilots a month ago, but four more blocks and 12 fewer attack errors were what led the Gaels to a victorious effort this time out.
SHARING THE PASSING WEALTH
Saint Mary's totalled 53 digs in today's match to Portland's 52, but did not have a single player with double-digit digs. Instead, the Gaels had eight different players record at least four digs, leaving no space for the Pilot attackers to find the hardwood. Mikey Thunstrom and Abby Castillon led the way with nine digs each, despite neither appearing in all five sets. Libero Alayna Pearson went for eight, as the Pilots tried to stay away from the outstanding junior defensive specialist for the Gaels. Setter Madi Zorn dug up six attacks, while Tessa Schouten and Mya Allen each went for five. Rounding out the group, Ivona Lazovic and Gracie Vohs each had four. This well rounded defensive effort helped the Gaels hold the Pilots to a hitting percentage 13 points lower than their last meeting.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS
The young guns were on display for the Gaels today, with three of their first year collegiate players leading them to victory. Mya Allen continued her hot streak, finishing up with 18 kills to go along with an ace, a block and five digs. Allen has now tallied 96 kills over the Gaels five match win streak, and leads the team this season averaging 3.37 kills per set. Miley Thunstrom finished second on the team with 12 kills, a new career-high, hitting a team-best 0.417. Thunstrom also led the Gaels with nine digs, one off of her career best. Last, but certainly not least, Ivona Lazovic continued to lead the setting efforts for the Gaels, seeing time as both a 6-2 and 5-1 setter. The Serbian native went for 28 assists, also adding a kill, an ace and four digs.
WEEK IN REVIEW
The Gaels pulled off back-to-back five set wins this week for the second time in the last three weeks. Again, Saint Mary's leaned heavily on freshman outside hitter Mya Allen, who went for 40 kills over the 10 sets on 87 swings. Allen also chipped in a team best five aces and three solo blocks. Genevieve Baen finished second on the attacking front with 29 kills, but also led the team with 11 blocks, giving her 28 over the Gaels five match win streak. Ivona Lazovic led the team with 63 assists, exactly half of the 126 the team tallied for the week, while finishing second on the team with 15 digs. The digs leader for Saint Mary's was Alayna Pearson who totalled 21 in the 10 sets. The Gaels hit at 0.259 for the week, averaging 13 kills per set, while limiting opponents to a 0.237 clip and 11.9 kills per set. They also continued to block well, averaging 2.2 blocks per set, while hold opponents to just 1.9 blocks per set. The Gaels now have a winning record in conference play for the first time since 2023 when they went 10-6 and finished fourth overall in the West Coast Conference standings. They are currently tied for sixth place with Portland, but are just two games out of second.
COACHES CORNER
UP NEXT
The Gaels will hit the road to see Seattle U after downing the Redhawks in five this week. First serve from the Redhawk center is set for 1 PM on Saturday, November 1.
DON'T MISS OUT ON HOME VOLLEYBALL ACTION. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE.
#GaelsRise
Team Stats
UP
SMC
Kills
58
59
Errors
22
24
Attempts
142
145
Hitting %
.254
.241
Points
72.0
75.0
Assists
51
57
Aces
5
7
Blocks
9
9
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballS
/ Women's VolleyballL/DS
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballVB | Highlights at San Francisco, 11-13-25
Thursday, November 13
VB | Tyler Hildebrand Presser, 11-11-25
Tuesday, November 11
VB | Highlights at San Diego, 11-8--25
Saturday, November 08
VB | Highlights vs. Oregon State, 11-6-25
Thursday, November 06
