SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara beach volleyball came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Saint Mary's 3-2 in the home opener on Tuesday afternoon in front of a raucous crowd at the Beach Volleyball Courts on the Mission Campus.
Trailing 2-0, the Broncos (8-14, 2-3 WCC) reeled off three-straight wins capped off by Sophia Tulino and Claire Doud's 21-19, 21-17 victory over Hawley Harrer and Aeriel Sundt at No. 4.
"That was literally a historic win for the program," said associate head coach Jeff Alzina. "We were 16-79 in matches historically against Saint Mary's since 2014, and 2-17 in duals. It's been almost seven years since we last beat them. The Gaels have been a very strong program in the West Coast Conference since its inception and they've been a target for us since I arrived here in 2019. They run a class program there and it's an honor to finally catch and beat them.
"Our players have been grinding all season with injuries forcing shuffling lineups and they earned their tough victory today. I'm very proud of them and the confidence they'll now carry into the WCC tournament in two weeks."
Playing on two courts at a time, the No. 3 and No. 6 pairings were the first two to take court, followed by No. 2 and No. 5 with No. 1 and No. 4 going last.
Saint Mary's (13-12, 7-3 WCC) took the matches at No. 3 and No. 2 to go up 2-0 before the Broncos mounted a comeback.
At No. 5, Jordan Bennett and Alexia Gallegos got things rolling with a 21-16, 21-10 win over Ella Sandt and Genevieve Bane to get the Broncos first team points. Michelle Shaffer and Julia Sangiacomo followed with a 21-13, 21-19 triumph over Selbie Christensen and Chandler Cowell to even the score at 2-all, setting the stage for Tulino and Doud's match clincher.
NEXT UP
Santa Clara welcomes Cal and Pacific for a pair of home matches at the Santa Clara Beach Volleyball Courts on Friday at 1 & 4 p.m. Prior to the second match, four Broncos seniors will be recognized in their final home match of their careers.
RESULTS
Santa Clara 3, Saint Mary's 2
Apr 12, 2022 at Santa Clara, Calif. (SC Beach Volleyball Courts)
1. Michelle Shaffer/Julia Sangiacomo (SCUBVB) def. Selbie Christensen/Chandler Cowell (SMC) 21-13, 21-19
2. Jennifer Laird/Jasmin Suarez (SMC) def. Alexia Inman/Casey Campbell (SCUBVB) 21-11, 21-16
3. Makenna Joyce/Karmin Brown (SMC) def. Elena Radeff/Alexie Epstein (SCUBVB) 21-16, 21-17
4. Sophia Tulino/Claire Doud (SCUBVB) def. Hawley Harrer/Aeriel Sundt (SMC) 21-19, 21-17
5. Jordan Bennett/Alexia Gallegos (SCUBVB) def. Ella Sandt/Genevieve Bane (SMC) 21-16, 21-10
Ext. Megan Chandler/Trinity Durfee (SMC) def. Natalia Rentsch/Elyse Erickson (SCUBVB) 21-18, 21-18
Match Notes
Saint Mary's 13-12, 7-3 WCC
Santa Clara 8-14, 2-3 WCC
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,5,1,4);
