Saint Mary’s Beach Volleyball Heads to Battle of the Bay

MORAGA, Calif. — The Saint Mary’s beach volleyball team (3-1) continues its 2026 campaign this weekend at the Battle of the Bay, co-hosted by San Jose State and Stanford. The Gaels will face four Northern California opponents in the event: Pacific, San Jose State, UC Davis, and Stanford.

Season Kickoff and Key Performances

Saint Mary’s began its season at the Third Coast Challenge in Houston, securing wins against Southern Miss, Houston Christian, and Tarleton State. Their sole loss came against third-ranked Cal Poly. Several Gaels demonstrated strong performances during the opening weekend.

• Annah Legaspi went 3-1 in her debut weekend, paired with Alisia Silverthorn.
• Hannah Couch and Isla Johnson achieved a 3-1 record in the third flight.
• Alisia Silverthorn and Annah Legaspi also posted a 3-1 record in the fourth flight.
• Hannah Glick and Clarissa Klein, as well as Glick and Barett Nolan, contributed to a 3-1 record in the fifth flight.

Friday’s Schedule: Pacific and San Jose State

The Battle of the Bay begins for the Gaels on Friday at Spartan Beach with a noon match against the Pacific Tigers. Pacific is currently 0-2 against West Coast Conference (WCC) opponents, having lost to San Francisco and Santa Clara. Jaida Ward is in her second season as head coach of the Tigers, aiming to improve upon last year’s 1-22 record. Francesca Zanotti and Jayhlin Swain secured the Tigers’ only point of the season, winning their fourth flight match against USF.

Saint Mary’s holds a 23-3 all-time record against Pacific, with a 20-game win streak.

Following the match against Pacific, the Gaels will compete against San Jose State at 2 p.m. The Spartans also experienced losses against Santa Clara and USF during opening weekend. Gary Hodge, in his fourth season as head coach of the Spartans, previously led the Gaels for four seasons and achieved a program-record 15 wins last year. Sabrina Moore and Sophia Torres had a strong showing for the Spartans against the Dons.

The Gaels are 14-4 all-time against San Jose State, having won twice against them last season.

Saturday’s Matches: UC Davis and Stanford

On Saturday, February 28, Saint Mary’s will travel to Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium. They will first face the UC Davis Aggies at noon. UC Davis started the season with a 1-3 record at the Canyon Classic, defeating Colorado Mesa but falling to Arizona State, Arizona, and TCU. First-year head coach Ari Hamoyun, formerly the winningest coach at CSUN, will rely on veteran players Ella Erteltova and Kimi Waller.

The Gaels have a 4-3 all-time record against the Aggies, winning their last two meetings.

The weekend concludes with a 2 p.m. Match against the top-ranked Stanford Cardinal. Andrew Fuller, in his tenth year as head coach, is aiming for his sixth consecutive NCAA Championship appearance. Stanford went 5-1 at the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic, with their only loss a narrow 3-2 decision against fourth-ranked USC. Avery Jackson and Brooke Rockwell have been consistent performers for the Cardinal.

Saint Mary’s has an 8-17 all-time record against Stanford and has not defeated them since 2019.