LACEY, Wash. – The Saint Martin's volleyball team (13-15, 3-15 GNAC) ended their regular season slate on Saturday evening, coming up short against the No. 5 ranked Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves (27-2, 17-1 GNAC) by a score of 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-23). It was a sad ending to a senior day that started with the celebration of Britney Duvall, Kylie Coon, Giselle Benetti, and Gracie Brenner.
 
The Saints gave Alaska-Anchorage all they could handle in the first and third sets, and it started with a five-point run early in the first. With Maddy Gooding serving, the Saints score two points via aces and another two off kills from Loredana Fouonji and Jennifer Soha. UAA answered with a short run, but again the Saints found themselves with a lead, this time after two Benetti aces. After Tia Allen had a monster kill to tie the game at 18, the Seawolves went on the run to decide the set, scoring four straight. The Saints would not recover, losing 25-20. The second set was also knotted up in double-figures at 11-11, but that time a seven-point run allowed Anchorage to win the set 25-17.
 
Again, the Saints fought neck-and-neck with the number five team in the nation during the final set. After losing the first two points, SMU notched six-straight including two huge Allen kills to make it 6-2. UAA went on a run of their own runs, but again it was Allen in the clutch that flipped the service back to Saint Martin's. Benetti fired two more aces there, and a miscue by the Seawolves made it 10-6. With a decent 15-10 edge, the Saints stumbled and allowed six unanswered, but we still saw every bit of grit from an SMU squad that totaled the most wins in program history this season. A Soha kill tied it up at 22-22 late, but other than a block from Coon and Fouonji, the Saints couldn't convert any more. Alaska-Anchorage would take the final set 25-23.
 
That loss concluded the regular season for one of the best SMU volleyball teams of all-time. While they lose four key seniors, Coach Dan Behnke looks to return all seven of his starters for what will surely be a promising 2023 campaign.