Benetti_Giselle
Ron Smith

Saints Prepare For Final Weekend Of Action In Alaska

11/17/2021 2:13:00 PM

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FULL MEDIA GUIDE

Live Stats/Live Video â€“ Live Stats of Saint Martin's Volleyball Games will be available with links found on smusaints.com. Live Video is TBA on a game-to-game basis. Live stats and video will be produced by the Host School.

 

Social Media â€“ Follow the Saints on Twitter (@smusaints_vb) for in game updates and follow SMU Athletics on Facebook (Saint Martin's Saints), Twitter (SMUSaints), Instagram (SMUSaints).
 
Ticket Information â€“ All Saint Martin’s home games tickets can be purchased online at smusaints.com. Skip the line at the gate by purchasing online, saving your digital ticket, and scanning it at the door!
 
Saints Digital Network â€“ The Saints Digital Network on YouTube is your home all Saint Martin's Athletics. Live stats and video broadcast are available of every home game this season for free and can be found on smusaints.com.


Projected Starting Lineup â€“

OH

Tia Allen

275 Kills

319.5 Points

249 Digs

RS

Emily Gooding

252 Kills

280.0 Points

123 Digs

MB

Maddy Gooding

71 Kills

116.5 Points

53 Blocks

MB

Jennifer Soha

89 Kills

120.0 Points

57 Blocks

S

Analise Hitchcock

662 Assists

19 Aces

175 Digs

DS

Giselle Benetti

20 Assists

19 Aces

269 Digs

L

Kylie Alos

60 Assists

24 Aces

402 Digs

 
Saints Break School Win Record In Dramatic Fashion - Until October 28th, 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.

 

Gooding Sisters Shine In Saints' Loss To Central Washington - A total of seven points separated the Saints and Wildcats over three sets; however, it was Central Washington come away from Marcus Pavilion with the three-set victory.

 

There was no shortage of drama as all three set came down to the wire between the two squads. Late heroics from Ashley Kaufman led Central Washington (14-7, 10-5) to the 25-23, 28-26, 25-22 victory. Emily Gooding and Maddy Gooding combined for 17 kills, with Maddy adding four aces, six blocks, five of which were solos. Her five solo blocks were tied for second most in program history.

 

Saints Honor Five Seniors In Final Home Match Of 2021 Season - Saint Martin's honored five seniors during their final home match of the season as Saint Martin's fell in straight sets to Northwest Nazarene.

 

The Saints' (10-16, 3-13) offense struggled to find its' flow all night going for 36 kills and 24 errors. Tia Allen recorded a double-double on the night with 11 kills, and 15 digs to pace the Saints. Emily Gooding eclipsed 10 kills while Kylie Alos ended with 25 digs, placing her fifth all-time in Saints' history in career digs at 933.

 

Saints' VB Named GNAC Co-Team of the Week - An undefeated weekend, tournament MVP, two All-Tournament selections, and now the Saints' Volleyball team is the GNAC Co-Team of the Week on September 7. Off to their best start in five years, the Saints swept through their opponents in Billings to share the Team of the Week with Simon Fraser volleyball, who also went 4-0 in their tournament.

 

M-V-P M-V-P Chants! - No defense had an answer for the electric freshman Tia Allen, who finished with 58 kills in the tournament. Allen collected 4.53 points per set and led the team total with 72.5 points. Her eight service aces also ranked the best on the team. Not only did Allen dominate on the offensive side, she also was second on the team in digs at 53, and blocks at 10. She was named the Yellowjacket Invitational MVP.

 

GNAC Player of the Week - Kylie Alos, who was named to the Yellowjacket Invitational All-Tournament team after helping the Saints went 4-0 on the weekend. Anchoring the back line, Alos finished the weekend with 89 digs total, with a 5.56 digs per set average. In three of the four matches, Alos recorded 20+ digs, including a best of 28 against Bemidji State in four sets. It marked the first of her career.

 

0 To 100 Real Quick – Head coach Dan Behnke collected his 100th career win in just 157 matches with the Saints’ victory over Hawai’i Hilo on September 10.

 

Best Start In Program History – For the first time since the Saints’ joined the NCAA in 1998, SMU volleyball opened their season undefeated in their first five matches.

 

Among The Best In The GNAC – Entering the week, Tia Allen ranks ninth in points per set (3.40), and ninth in kills per set (2.93) in the GNAC. Kylie Alos is third in digs per set (4.37). Analise Hitchcock ranks seventh in assists per set (7.20). Jennifer Soha ranks seventh in hitting percentage (.289).

 

Career Night – Against Western Oregon, where the Saints came back to win in five sets, Emily Gooding registered a career-high 18 kills, and 19 points. Ilana Sagapolutele finished with a career-high 17 kills, and Giselle Benetti had a career-high 34 digs.

 

Saints Are Killin’ It – The Saints’ 69 kills against Western Oregon was the most by any SMU team since 2017 when the Saints put up 72 in a five-set victory over Central Washington.
 
New Era â€“ Saint Martin's volleyball begins a new era as Dan Behnke takes over as head coach. Behnke was hired back in February of 2020 and comes to SMU after coaching for five seasons at NAIA Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. During his time at Huston-Tillotson, Behnke went 94-52, including a 75-20 in the last three years. Prior to his arrival, Huston-Tillotson went 16-145 in a five-year span.
 
Sister Connection â€“ The Gooding sisters looked right in sync from the very beginning. Maddy Gooding tallied 20 kills, a team-leading 21 blocks, and six service aces over the MSUB tournament. Meanwhile, Emily Gooding was third on the team at 40 kills, along with nine blocks.
 
Meet The New Saints â€“

2

Abigail Halstead

DS/L

5-7

FR

San Antonio, TX / Louis D Brandeis

3

Mahina Pescaia

S

5-8

FR

Kailua, HI / Kamehameha Schools Maui

4

Tia Allen

OH

5-11

FR

Clayton, WA / Mt. Spokane HS

21

Jennifer Soha

MB

6-0

FR

Reno, NV / Green Valley HS

26

Kayla May

L

5-5

FR

Fairview, OR / Troutdale HS