For the first time this season, St. Mary will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They are taking a road trip to challenge the Marcos de Niza Padres at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Marcos de Niza took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on St. Mary's, who comes in off a win.
St. Mary's barely beat Shadow Mountain the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Knights were the clear victors by a 3-0 margin over the Matadors on Monday. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Matadors recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive win against them.
St. Mary's walked away with the victory (and looked especially good in the third set). The final score came out to 25-16, 25-20, 25-11.
Layla Santa Cruz De La Cruz
| 09/22/25 vs Shadow Mountain | 14 |
| 09/21/25 vs Veritas Prep | 13 |
| 09/20/25 vs North Valley Christian Academy | 4 |
| 09/20/25 vs Arizona Lutheran Academy | 8 |
| 09/19/25 vs Boulder Creek | 10 |
| + 2 more games |
St. Mary's can attribute much of their success to Layla Santa Cruz De La Cruz, who had 14 assists. That's the most assists Santa Cruz De La Cruz has posted over her last seven matches. Nellie Coover also deserves some recognition as she had her first block of the season.
St. Mary's was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 11 aces. They are a perfect 9-0 when they serve at least ten aces.
Meanwhile, Marcos de Niza entered their matchup against Cactus Shadows on Thursday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Padres lost 3-0 to the Falcons.
Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-17, 25-16, 25-7.
St. Mary's picked up their first home win, bumping their record up to 13-5. As for Marcos de Niza, they now have a losing record of 5-6.
Everything went St. Mary's way against Marcos de Niza in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as St. Mary's made off with a 3-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
