Thursday, October 8
Moraga, CA
6:30 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
9-8,4-1WCC
3
vs
0
Seattle U
3-11,0-4WCC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle U | 11 | 25 | 25 | 0 |
| Saint Mary's (CA) | 25 | 27 | 27 | 3 |
Antonie Kelnarova: 14 Kills, 9 Digs, 4 Aces
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
VB | Saint Mary’s Sweeps Seattle U in WCC Home Opener, Off to Second Best Conference Start in Program History
10/8/2026 10:11:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
MORAGA, Calif. — Back at home for the first time in three weeks, Saint Mary's Volleyball made quick work of the Seattle Redhawks, picking up their first conference sweep of the season. The win moved the Gaels to 4-1 in conference play, their best start in WCC action since 2010, and their second best start in conference play in program history.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gaels opened the match on a dominant 14-4 run, setting the tone early in a runaway set one, 25-11. As a team, Saint Mary's hit at 0.476 in the opening stanza, as five different players recorded at least one kill without committing an error.
Sets two and three were quite the opposite of the first frame, with the Gaels winning both in bonus volleyball fashion, 27-25. In set two, it was the Redhawks who jumped out to a 19-13 lead, needing just six points to knot the match up at a set apiece. A Seattle U service error would end a 5-0 Redhawk run, and gave the Gaels a chance to claw back into things, and that's precisely what they did, going on a 9-3 run of their own, bringing the score to 22 all. Seattle would pull ahead three more times in the second set, but each time, it was met with a Gael sideout. After staving off set point at 25-24, the Gaels would close out the set on three straight kills, two from Layne Dent and one from Ava Galvan, to go into the intermission ahead 2-0.
After eight ties and three lead changes in set two, set three was even tighter, with 14 ties and nine lead changes. With the scoreline deadlocked at 15-15, the Gaels would rattle off three straight points to bring it to 18-15, and extended the lead out to 22-18. Seattle U refused to go quietly, however, taking a lead at 23-22, but it would be their final lead, as Saint Mary's would fend off the surging Redhawks with a pair of Antonie Kelnarova kills to take the set 27-25, and the match 3-0.
GAME NOTES
UP NEXT
The Gaels will be back in action inside UCU Pavilion on Saturday, October 10, when they host the Portland Pilots. First serve is set for 2 p.m. Get your tickets today at smcgaels.com/tickets or stream the match live on ESPN+.
Don't miss a second of Saint Mary's Volleyball action in 2026! Tickets are on sale here!
#GaelsRise
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gaels opened the match on a dominant 14-4 run, setting the tone early in a runaway set one, 25-11. As a team, Saint Mary's hit at 0.476 in the opening stanza, as five different players recorded at least one kill without committing an error.
Sets two and three were quite the opposite of the first frame, with the Gaels winning both in bonus volleyball fashion, 27-25. In set two, it was the Redhawks who jumped out to a 19-13 lead, needing just six points to knot the match up at a set apiece. A Seattle U service error would end a 5-0 Redhawk run, and gave the Gaels a chance to claw back into things, and that's precisely what they did, going on a 9-3 run of their own, bringing the score to 22 all. Seattle would pull ahead three more times in the second set, but each time, it was met with a Gael sideout. After staving off set point at 25-24, the Gaels would close out the set on three straight kills, two from Layne Dent and one from Ava Galvan, to go into the intermission ahead 2-0.
After eight ties and three lead changes in set two, set three was even tighter, with 14 ties and nine lead changes. With the scoreline deadlocked at 15-15, the Gaels would rattle off three straight points to bring it to 18-15, and extended the lead out to 22-18. Seattle U refused to go quietly, however, taking a lead at 23-22, but it would be their final lead, as Saint Mary's would fend off the surging Redhawks with a pair of Antonie Kelnarova kills to take the set 27-25, and the match 3-0.
GAME NOTES
- Now at 4-1 in conference play, the Gaels are off to their best start in WCC action since 2010, when they opened up conference play at 8-1.
- The Gaels recorded 50 kills in a three set match for the first time since 2018, when they went for 50 in a three set win at Santa Clara (Oct. 20, 2018).
- Layne Dent and Antonie Kelnarova combined for 30 of those 50 kills, as the dynamic duo has now gone for a combined 30+ kills in six matches this year.
- Saint Mary's has now hit better than 0.200 as a team in four of its five WCC matches, going 3-1 in those instances. Today's 0.337 clip was the best in conference play for the Gaels this season.
- Dent led that effort as well for the Gaels, hitting at 0.423, a new career-high for a match in which she's recorded at least 10 kills.
- Ava Galvan recorded her 100th kill of the season in this match.
- Antonie Kelnarova continues to climb in the single season ace record books, now with 43, tied for fourth most in a single season in program history. The program record for aces in a single season is 50.
UP NEXT
The Gaels will be back in action inside UCU Pavilion on Saturday, October 10, when they host the Portland Pilots. First serve is set for 2 p.m. Get your tickets today at smcgaels.com/tickets or stream the match live on ESPN+.
Don't miss a second of Saint Mary's Volleyball action in 2026! Tickets are on sale here!
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
SU
SMC
Kills
30
50
Errors
15
18
Attempts
88
95
Hitting %
.170
.337
Points
45.0
62.0
Assists
27
47
Aces
4
8
Blocks
11
4
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
14
Aces
4
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Thursday, October 08
Thursday, October 08
Saturday, October 03
Thursday, October 01
