Volleyball Ends Homestand With Loss to Saint Mary’s

Volleyball Ends Homestand With Loss to Saint Mary’s

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara volleyball was unable to build off Thursday's victory over Pacific.

Sarah Chase (13) and Lindsey Knudsen (12) combined for 25 kills to help Saint Mary's knock off the Broncos 25-21, 25-16, 25-20 on Saturday in a matchup of West Coast Conference teams.

Michelle Shaffer posted a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs, and Taylor Odom had eight kills for the Broncos (6-16, 1-9) who concluded a four-match homestand.

Alexsa Parker had 26 assists and 10 digs for the Gaels who hit .366 for the match, including a blistering .452 in the second set.

After being tied five times in the second, including at 10-all, Saint Mary's pulled away with Chase and Knudsen posting 5 kills each in the set.

Saint Mary's, which won its fourth-straight match, is one of the top service teams in the country as the Gaels rank 15th in the NCAA in aces per set (1.69) and 21st in total aces (122), but the Broncos were unable to take advantage of nine service errors.

The Broncos, who downed Pacific 3-1 two days ago, rallied in the third set to try and extend the match. They trailed twice by six points, but pulled with 22-19, but Lindsey Calvin posted one of her eight kills and Chase closed it out with a kill.

NOTES
• Santa Clara is 51-25 against Saint Mary's in a series that dates back to 1979. The home team had won the previous five matches in the series.
• Santa Clara scored 46 points against Saint Mary's in the third set on Nov. 21, 2017. That total was the most in a single frame in NCAA history during the 25-point rally-scoring era (2008-present).

NEXT UP
Santa Clara heads on its Southern California road trip next week, facing Pepperdine on Thursday and LMU on Saturday.

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