LACEY, Wash. – In the home opener of the 2021 season, there was no shortage of drama. Going the distance, Saint Martin's nearly came up with a victory over Alaska Anchorage, falling 3-2.
 
Going back-and-forth, Saint Martin's (5-4, 0-1) and Alaska Anchorage (8-5, 1-0) dueled over five sets. The Saints took the opening set 25-18, before falling 14-25 in the second set. However, the Saint rallied for a 25-23 third set victory, and were on the verge of a win. The Seawolves found their rhythm in the fourth set, winning 25-13, and finished off the match with a 15-9 result in set five.
 
Tia Allen led the offense with 13 kills, along with nine digs, and three aces. Emily Gooding and Kylie Coon were next with seven kills. Giselle Benetti collected a match-leading 27 digs, and three aces of her own. Maddy Gooding blocked four attacks, along with a solo block.
 
Saint Martin's jumped out to an early 10-7 lead in the opening set. SMU continued to extend their lead throughout the set, and eventually coasted to the 25-18 result.
 
After falling in the second set, the Saints responded in the third set with a 9-0 run to open it up. SMU opened a 10-point lead before the Seawolves were able to cut the lead down to as little as one in the closing points. A kill from Allen closed out the set, putting Saint Martin's up 2-1 in sets.
 
UAA controlled the fourth set, forcing the fifth and final set. Saint Martin's fell behind early in the set but used a 4-0 run to take control 9-8. But the Seawolves once again rebounded, closing the match out on a 7-0 run to steal the victory away from SMU.
 
Saint Martin's returns to the court on Saturday, at 5:15 PM against Alaska Fairbanks. Live stats and video will be available on smusaints.com.