VB | Hot Start Not Enough as Gaels Fall to Cal

BERKELEY, Calif. — Saint Mary's Volleyball is no stranger to hot starts. In recent matches, the Gaels have had some of their strongest showings in the first set, and that was the case again on Wednesday night inside Haas Pavilion. Taking on the hosting Cal Golden Bears, Saint Mary's opened up with a 25-8 win the first set and looked unstoppable. Cal was up to the task, however, and took the remaining three sets to down SMC and send the Gaels to a 5-3 record.

NEAR PERFECT FIRST

It could not get much better for Saint Mary's in the opening set when they were on the attack. The Gaels only needed 27 swings in the entire set, and slammed down 17 kills without an attack error, giving them a hitting…