Oregon State
7-4,1-0WCC
Saint Mary's (Calif.)
2-10,0-1WCC
Balanced Beavs Handle Gaels in League Opener
September 25, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State took an early lead over Saint Mary's (Calif.) in the league-opening match on Thursday night and didn't look back.
The Beavers (7-4, 1-0 WCC) kept the visiting Gaels in check, holding their guests to just a .090 hitting rate in a four-set (25-12, 25-17, 22-25, 25-17) win in Gill Coliseum.
"Congrats to this team on our first WCC win," said head coach Lindsey Behonick. "(We had a) very balanced offense from our hitters and our block and digs put us in the driver's seat. (I'm) excited to go to battle with this group on Saturday."
Lauren Rumel – a preseason all-conference selection – led the Beaver offense on the night with 14 kills while a pair of true freshmen – Alana Marrs and Maëli Cormier – each tallied eight. Marrs, the twice-reigning league freshman of the week, complimented her offense with a team-best eight blocks. Combining for 43 of the team's 50assists, Emma Lilo (24) and Jackie Matias (19) kept the Beavs in control. 10 Beavers, led by Lilo's 14, recorded at least two digs to keep the Gaels at bay.
Oregon State opened the match on a blistering 8-1 run to take control early over Saint Mary's. Within the first six points, the Beavers registered an .800 clip led by two Cormier kills. By the time Oregon State broke it open at 18-8, the OSU defense was holding the Gaels to a -.056 hitting mark. Lilo's five set digs set the tone for a dominant performance to take the first lead. Keeping the balance up, the offense built the lead out to its final mark of 13 with a .478 rate to cap the opener.
Not letting up in the second, Oregon State's balance kept the Gaels at bay with a 25-17 set two win. The offense once again reached the 400s (.448) and the defense suffocated the SMC attack, allowing just a .103 clip. Despite the visitors keeping it close early, the Beavers broke it open at 7-6 and ballooned a lead to 17-9 on the way to the eight-point win.
The Gaels flipped the script in the third, forcing a fourth set behind a 25-22 win in the frame. Keila Gabriel's team-leading-two kills just weren't enough as the Gaels used a timely 3-0 run to take it by the three-point margin.
Six Lilo kills helped seal the win for the Beavs in set four, helping hold Saint Mary's to a .108 clip in the finale. Despite the eight-point margin, the Gaels kept it close and tied the Beavs on six occasions – including as late as 12-12 before a 5-0 dash by the Beavs all but secured it. When Saint Mary's got back within three at 20-17, OSU took advantage of three Gael errors to seal the win.
Oregon State will close the month – and home stretch – Saturday with a league matchup against Pacific on Saturday, September 27. First serve against the Tigers is set for 1 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
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