LACEY, Wash. – Until Thursday night, no Saint Martin's volleyball had managed to accomplish what the 2021 Saints did. With their four set victory over Montana State Billings, the Saints became the first team in program history to win 10 games in a single season since joining the NCAA in 1999.
 
Tia Allen once again stepped up to power the Saints (10-11, 3-8) with a team-leading 14 kills, followed by Kylie Coon at 11. Emily Gooding and Jennifer Soha combined for 14 kills, four blocks, and nine digs. In the back, Kylie Alos' 25 digs were most on the team. Analise Hitchcock finished with 27 assists, 17 digs, and two blocks.
 
The match began evenly matched with the Saints holding a one-point lead to 8-to-7. SMU broke open the set with a 6-to-1 run, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Allen. The Yellowjackets (9-13, 4-8) managed to trim the lead down to as little as two before the Saints pulled away for the 25-19 victory.
 
SMU looked to be well on their way to another set victory in the second frame, leading 15-10. After a MSUB timeout, the Yellowjackets caught fire, scoring eight straight, and finishing the set on a 15-to-4 run to tie up the match.
 
Saint Martin's trailed 15-to-7 in the third set and looked to heading the fourth set down 2-1. The Saints slowly started chipping away at the score, then exploded for six straight points to tie the match at 19-to-19. After MSUB scored two in a row, the Saints rattled off five in a row to take a 24-21. But the drama was not finish, as the Yellowjackets tied the score at 24, and both sides went back-and-forth until a service error, and an attack error by MSUB gave the Saints the set at 28-to-26.
 
Montana State Billings responded quickly in the fourth, opening with a 7-2 lead. It wasn't until 13-13 when the Saints managed to tie the match, and kills from Allen, and Gooding put SMU on top. The Saints never looked back, capitalizing on MSUB errors, and kills from Coon, and Gracie Brenner to put away the match, and seal the record books.
 
Saint Martin's returns to court on Saturday at 5:15 PM hosting I-5 rival Seattle Pacific. Live stats and video of the match will be available on smusaints.com.