 | | | Lauren Corp led the Gaels with 25 kills, a career-high, in Saint Mary's
loss to Stanford
| | | | | | After a record-setting season, the Gaels competed in the NCAA tournament on Friday, December 4th. No. 21 Saint Mary's (22-4) took on the University of California, Santa Barbara (22-8) in the first round. Saint Mary's got off to a slow start against the Gauchos, dropping the first two sets 24-26, 22-25 before coming back in dramatic fashion taking the next three games, 25-20, 25-14, 13-15. The Gael's were led by freshman outside hitter Lauren Corp who notched 14 kills. Saint Mary's has not won a match in the post season since 2004 when the team advanced to the sweet sixteen.
Saint Mary's faced Stanford on their home floor on Saturday, December 5th. The Gaels took on the Cardinal earlier in the season and lost 3-1. While the Gaels were unable to defeat the Cardinal, the team forced the match to five sets. Saint Mary's took the first set 25-21 before dropping the next two 21-25, 22-25. The Gaels won the fourth set, 26-24, before losing in the fifth set, 13-15. Saint Mary's was again led by Corp in a stellar offensive effort. Corp led the team with 25 kills, a career-high. Senior libero Alita Fisher also added 26 digs for the Gaels.
Head coach Rob Browning said of the game, "We are disappointed it didn't end our way last night. The girls knew that they could win and they played like they would win so it was heartbreaking in that sense. We are very proud of how our girls played. It's too bad we couldn't win but we are really proud of ourselves."
The Gaels finished the season with a 23-4 overall record, the second best in Saint Mary's history.
C. Graveson
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA