The score was tied 32 times in four sets, 15 coming from the first set.

The Beavers volleyball locked in their fourth conference win of the season against Saint Mary’s on Thursday, Oct. 24 at Gill Coliseum.

Freshman middle blocker, Zaria Thornton made her mark offensively on all four sets.

Thornton was a perfect 10-for-10 on offense through the first two sets and is ranked ninth in the West Coast Conference for hitting percentage.

The game point on the fourth set ends controversially for the Gaels. 

Senior Annika Hester blocks the attack from Castilon causing the deflection to go left of the net and Castilon looks to save the deflection but crosses the plane. Beavers win.

Along with their win, Freshman Emma Lilo cements herself in program history reaching the top ten in assists by a freshman.

Lilo tallied 26 assists on the night. 

Her dominance in the first set led the Beavers to overcome a nail-biting duel against the Gaels.

Tied 23-23, outside hitter Vivian Light stepped up to serve and aced Saint Mary’s Abby Castilon to reach game point, and Thornton finalized the first set 25-23 Beavers with an overpass kill. 

In 48 total points, there was no more than a two-point lead in the first set.

The second set remained close, but the Beavers capitalized on the Gaels’ tired defense, landing 17 kills to go up 2-0.

The Lady Beavers capitalized on Saint Mary’s defensive errors, scoring the majority of their points on tooled blocks and overpassed balls. 

However, the Gaels persevered sending the match to four sets. 

Saint Mary’s sophomore Clarissa Klein controlled the offense in the third set with six kills and kept the Gaels alive with a definitive kill to tie the score 24-24.

While the fourth set started in favor of the Gaels, the Lady Beavers quickly regained control of the game. 

The score reaches the highest deficit of the night, 25-17, to finalize the win. 

Oregon State women’s volleyball’s next game at Gill Coliseum on Saturday at noon.