The Oregon State Women’s volleyball team defeated Saint Mary’s (Calif.) 3-1 (25–12, 25–17, 22–25, 25–17) on Thursday night to open conference play behind a balanced attack and a suffocating block at Gill Coliseum.
The Beavers (7–4, 1–0 WCC) controlled the night’s tempo in sets one, two, and four, out-killing the Gaels 54–40 and out-hitting them .275 to .090. Saint Mary’s (2–10, 0–1 WCC) managed to take a close third set, but the Beavers bounced back in the fourth to close out the match.
The match opened with Oregon State setter Emma Lilo’s service ace on the opening ball which set the tone. The Beavers never trailed in the opening two frames, hitting a blistering .478 in the first (14 kills, three errors on 23 swings) to win 25–12, then backed it up at .448 in the second (16–3–29) for a 25–17 cushion.
The Gaels found their footing in the third with a razor-thin margin throughout; there were five lead changes and neither team managed to build a lead greater than three points.
The decisive stretch came midway through the fourth, when Oregon State turned a 12-12 deadlock into an insurmountable lead with a 5–1 burst that featured a Lauren Rumel service ace.
Oregon State’s Rumel led all hitters with 14 kills (14–4–40, .250) and added an ace and five digs. Middle blocker Alana Marrs was a two-way force with eight kills (.294) and a match-best eight blocks, three solo, five assisted.
Fellow middle blocker Bridget Gould added 7 kills with 3 errors on 12 swings, while Nathalie Scholz was efficient (7–1–9, .667), chipping in four assists, two aces, and a block for a team-high 10.5 points. Outside Maeli Cormier added eight kills and three blocks
Oregon State’s two-setter look was productive, as Emma Lilo finished with 24 assists and 14 digs. Setter Jackie Matias added 19 assists while also contributing a late serving run that helped to close out the match. Libero Tia Shum had seven digs and an ace.
The Beavers were better across the board, leading in kills, hitting percentage and blocks (12–8), and won the total points battle 72–51. Oregon State built its cushion with hot starts in the first two sets and finished with a steady fourth.
Saint Mary’s relied on outsiders Genevieve Bane (13 kills on 38 swings) and Mya Allen, who had 11 kills, but 12 errors on 37 attempts. Middle blocker Tessa Schouten was efficient with six kills and three blocks, with Anaya Thrower matching her in blocks. Setter Ivona Lazovic handed out 24 assists with two aces and six digs, and libero Alayna Pearson had 10 digs and two aces.
The Gaels’ best stretch came in the third set where they had 12 kills and capitalized on 11 errors from the Beavers, but the decisive fourth went to OSU. While the Gaels were able to fight back from a 13-20 deficit to cut the lead to three points at 17-20, the Beavers won five straight to close out the match.
The win gives Oregon State a clean start in WCC play, with the Beavers’ physical net defense emerging as an early identity. Saint Mary’s exits at 2–10 (0–1), seeking more efficiency out of their system in upcoming league dates.
The Beavers next play University of the Pacific at Gill Coliseum on Saturday at 1 pm.
