LACEY, Wash. – The 2018 season for the Saints, despite fighting multiple season-ending injuries to key players, proved to record setting performances and flashes of what the Saints will be capable of in the 2019 year.
 
The Saints' season started off with a hurricane of events, literally. SMU traveled to Hawaii to play four matches; however, they were only able to get in two before Hurricane Olivia cut the tournament short.
 
Saint Martin's then traveled to California for the Division-II West Region Volleyball Showcase. SMU went 2-2 with their first win coming over Hawaii Hilo in five sets, before sweeping Academy of Art in straight sets.
 
Entering the conference season, the Saints sat 2-4 overall. However, the GNAC proved to be not only one of the toughest conferences in the West, but in all of country. SMU went 2-18 in the season, with wins over Western Oregon in five sets on the road and highlighted by the school's first ever win over Northwest Nazarene at home.
 
In four sets, the Saints managed to knock off Northwest Nazarene, who ranked to begin the season in the top-25. The win snapped the 37-match losing streak to the Nighthawks. The team managed 61-kills and Alyssa Bartlett had 52 assists to help propel SMU to a 3-1 victory.
 
Despite not having a strong showing in the win-loss column, the Saints managed to have two players selected to the GNAC All-Conference team, another first in program history. Rachel Gondrezick and Megan Vernoy capped off their careers with honorable mention selections.
 
Gondrezick ended the year with 249 kills, 287.5 points, 23 aces, and 260 digs, all second most on the team. Vernoy tallied the most kills and points, 301 and 342.5 respectively, on the team, along with her 22 aces and .214 hitting percentage.
 
The two seniors pole vaulted their standings in the record books all season long, with Gondrezick ending fifth all-time in kills and Vernoy seventh. Joining the two seniors in the record book was freshman Bartlett, who's 732 assists already rank eighth all-time, and were ninth most in a single season.
 
For single season records, Courtney Misner etched her name at the top of digs per set, ending 2018 with 4.89. Her 465 digs on the year were second most all-time. Vernoy also ranks eighth in points per set (3.61), points, and kills.  
 
Ililani Kamaka finished third on the team in multiple categories including kills (213), points (244), and aces (23). With multiple season-ending injuries to players like Kallie Langford, Emily Gooding and Annika Briggs, players like Molly Cichosz, Bridgette Bourgouin and others were asked to play outside of their normal roles. Cichosz battled through injuries herself but managed to play in 66 sets, collecting 102 kills and 126.5 points. Bourgouin saw action in 52 sets and had 28 kills and 41 blocks, which was second to only Briggs' 47. Kylie Alos and Jordan Keane each played in over 50 sets and combined for 117 digs and eight aces.
 
The Saints graduated four seniors in Gondrezick, Vernoy, Misner and Cichosz, with the seniors leaving a large hole for the returners to fill. However, the future has a positive outlook with young players like Bartlett, and Briggs, along with playmakers like Kamaka and Gooding and others, the Saints have a core to build on and prepare for the 2019 season.