Thursday, September 10
Boise, ID
2:30 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
4-3,0-0WCC
3
vs
0
Eastern Washington
5-2,0-0Big Sky
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary's (CA) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Eastern Wash. | 23 | 23 | 23 | 0 |
Alayna Pearson: 12 Digs, 17-17 Serve Receive
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
VB | Gaels Open Boise State Invitational with Sweep of Eastern Washington
9/10/2026 5:31:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BOISE, Idaho — For the first time in three weeks, the Saint Mary's volleyball team has opened up a non-conference tournament weekend with a victory, doing so in sweep fashion against Eastern Washington, handing the Eagles just their second loss of the season. The Gaels battled back from deficits in all three sets to preserve the sweep, and, more importantly, get some early rest ahead of the remaining two contests in this three game event.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gaels opened up an early 8-5 lead in set one, but saw Eastern Washington rally back to take its first lead of the set at 13-12. The Eagles would extend their lead out to three at 19-16, but the Gaels never refused to bow out of the fight, leveling things three times at 21-21, 22-22 and 23-23. Saint Mary's then turned to Anaya Thrower to end the set, coming up with a block and a kill to end the first by a 25-23 scoreline.
After leading by no more than three in set one, the Gaels quickly took a four point lead at 7-4 early in the second stanza. Again, Eastern Washington was quick to respond, capturing a 9-8 lead on the back of a 5-1 run of their own. Anaya Thrower and Antonie Kelnarova would guide the Gaels back in front at 17-16, and neither team would lead by more than one point for the remainder of the set, until set point, when the Eagles would put one into the net, giving the Gaels a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Eastern Washington, who entered the match with a 5-1 record, finally looked a bit more like itself to start set three, jumping out to a 6-2 lead early, but that lead quickly evaporated, as Saint Mary's was able to knot things up at seven apiece. The Eagles went on another run to pull ahead 15-9, but the Gaels never backed down. Down 23-20, Saint Mary's flipped the switch, and finished out the final frame ona 5-0 run, headlined by three Hadlee Gray kills, to finish off the sweep.
GAME NOTES
The Gaels will see host Boise State tomorrow at 5 p.m. PST. The game can be streamed live on the Pac12 YouTube page.
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 up an early 8-5 lead in set one, but saw Eastern Washington rally back to take its first lead of the set at 13-12. The Eagles would extend their lead out to three at 19-16, but the Gaels never refused to bow out of the fight, leveling things three times at 21-21, 22-22 and 23-23. Saint Mary's then turned to Anaya Thrower to end the set, coming up with a block and a kill to end the first by a 25-23 scoreline.
After leading by no more than three in set one, the Gaels quickly took a four point lead at 7-4 early in the second stanza. Again, Eastern Washington was quick to respond, capturing a 9-8 lead on the back of a 5-1 run of their own. Anaya Thrower and Antonie Kelnarova would guide the Gaels back in front at 17-16, and neither team would lead by more than one point for the remainder of the set, until set point, when the Eagles would put one into the net, giving the Gaels a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Eastern Washington, who entered the match with a 5-1 record, finally looked a bit more like itself to start set three, jumping out to a 6-2 lead early, but that lead quickly evaporated, as Saint Mary's was able to knot things up at seven apiece. The Eagles went on another run to pull ahead 15-9, but the Gaels never backed down. Down 23-20, Saint Mary's flipped the switch, and finished out the final frame ona 5-0 run, headlined by three Hadlee Gray kills, to finish off the sweep.
GAME NOTES
- The Gaels set new single season-highs for kills (47) and digs (54) in a three set match today.
- The 54 digs paired with just three service aces allowed demonstrated the Gaels' strong back row defensive effort.
- Antonie Kelnarova led the way with 14 kills, giving her three straight double-digit kill matches, and four of her last five.
- Alayna Pearson recorded 12 digs and was a perfect 17-for-17 on serve receive, leading the terrific back row effort.
- Hadlee Gray saw the most action of her Gael career, and answered the call to the tune of 10 kills, seven digs and a 0.381 attack percentage.
- Caitlin Prior enjoyed a career game, with 29 assists and three aces, both career-highs.
The Gaels will see host Boise State tomorrow at 5 p.m. PST. The game can be streamed live on the Pac12 YouTube page.
Don't miss a second of Saint Mary's Volleyball action in 2026! Tickets are on sale here!
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballL/DS
/ Women's VolleyballS
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
SMC
EWU
Kills
47
26
Errors
27
14
Attempts
129
99
Hitting %
.155
.121
Points
59.0
39.0
Assists
46
23
Aces
7
3
Blocks
5
10
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Thursday, September 10
Saturday, September 05
Friday, September 04
Thursday, September 03
