WACO, Tex. — Taking on arguably the strongest opponent on their grueling non-conference schedule, Saint Mary's (1-4) improved by the set against 20th ranked Baylor (4-1) but ultimately fell in straight sets. While a sweep is never an easy pill to swallow, the Gaels seemed to show improvements set by set, as they continue to learn each other's tendencies and grow together as a team.
In front of a raucous home crowd in Waco, Baylor threw the opening punch in this one, working ahead 4-0 early, but the Gaels were unphased, responding with by cutting the deficit eventually in half at 5-7. The next punch thrown by Baylor, however, was a massive haymaker in the form of a 12-0 run, more than enough to get the separation they needed to cruise to a 25-10 victory. A pair of kills each from Clarissa Klein and Genevieve Bane were the brightest spots of an otherwise difficult offensive set.
As strong as Baylor's start was in set one, in set two, they opened to the tune of a 20-5 scoreline. The Gaels outscored the Bear 6-5 down the stretch, but with the 15 point deficit, the Gaels could quite string together the run they would've needed to flip script in set two. In set two, it was Genevieve Bane and Mya Allen each tallying a team-high three kills, accounting for a majority of the Gaels points in the frame.
Through the first 29 points of set three, Saint Mary's kept within a single digit deficit of Baylor, before the Bears went on a 6-0 run to move ahead 23-10. With the match all but over, the Gaels refused to back down, closing out the match on a 7-2 run, ultimately falling in the final frame 25-17. For the third straight set, Genevieve Bane tied for the team lead in kills with three, this time tied with Grace Vohs, while Alayna Pearson had her best set of the match with five digs, after tallying only four throughout the first two sets.
After being limited to just one kill in the Baylor Classic opener vs Northwestern, Genevieve Bane responded to lead all players on either side with eight kills. In her second start of the season, Madi Zorn tallied 12 assists, while setter two in tonight's match, Ivona Lazovic, had five assists and one of the Gaels two aces. The other ace belonged to Natalie Peete, who also finished with five digs, second only to starting libero Alayna Pearson's nine. Earning her first start of the season, middle blocker Kaliko Kealoha had her hands on all three Saint Mary's blocks.
BETTER BY THE SET
Saint Mary's saw improvements on both kill volume and attack efficiency set by set in this one. In set one, the Gaels had only six kills compared to 10 errors for a negative hit percentage. In the second set, Saint Mary's got back in the green with seven kills and just five errors. In the tightest set of the match, the Gaels offense tallied 10 kills on 29 swings and just six errors, good for a match best 0.138 hitting percentage. It is also important to note the heroic defense by Baylor in this match, erasing many near kills with spectacular diving digs.
FROM BENCH TO BLOCKING LEADER
Kaliko Kealoha, an everyday starter at middle blocker last year, made her first start there in 2025. Not only did Kealoha pick up the start, but she was also responsible for all three of Saint Mary's blocks (one solo, two assists). It was the first time Kealoha had tallied at least three blocks in a match since Nov. 8 of last year when she had four against Washington State.
UP NEXT
The Gaels will take on Rice, another team garnering national attention, tomorrow at 11 AM PST to close out their appearance at the 2025 Baylor Classic.
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