The University of St. Thomas volleyball team found itself trailing by two sets to Wiley College Friday night before putting together a big comeback for a 22-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-11 win in the Jerabeck Activity & Athletic Center.
"I was pleased at how poised they stayed under the 0-2 set pressure," Celts fifth-year head coach Keanne Burt said. "They remained level-headed, and went to work as a team at overcoming the errors we made in the first two sets."
St. Thomas completed the weekend sweep with a 25-7, 25-13, 25-21 win over Jarvis Christian College Saturday. It was the Celts' fourth straight victory, bumping their record to 15-4 overall and 3-2 in the Red River Athletic Conference.
In Friday's win over the Wildcats, the Celts recovered from a slow start -- one where they were neutralized by eight kills and eight attack errors in the second set -- to gain momentum in the third set. St. Thomas converted 11 of 18 sideout opportunities in the third set, and put away 13 kills on 43 swings to get back into the match.
"We also cleaned up our off-the-book errors, and played stronger as a team," Burt said.
The Celts, who improved to 6-0 at home following the pair of weekend wins, were even more impressive in the fourth set. They hit .355, and were 14 of 19 in sideout chances for a 73 percent rate. The Celts had 14 kills, and committed just three errors in the set. Wiley, which dropped to 8-2 overall, 2-2 in the RRAC after Friday's loss, hit .189 in the set on 14 kills and seven errors.
It was a set that featured six ties and two lead changes.
The Celts raced out in front in the decisive fifth set, holding off the Wildcats on three occasions after tying things up. St. Thomas hit .368 in the final set, putting away 10 kills in 19 attacks. Wiley hit .200 on six kills in 15 swings.
Celts senior outside hitter Bresha Orange pounded 18 kills, and had 11 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. It was the 17th straight match she recorded double-digit kills.
Senior right side Kayden Thomas had 10 kills, hit .455 without committing an error, and had five blocks. Senior middle blocker Sophie Rigaut had 10 kills and five blocks.
Senior setter Hannah Westerlage had 25 assists, 13 digs and three aces for her fifth double-double of the season. Senior libero Lauren Fernandez-Miller had a match-high 20 digs, eight assists and an ace. Sophomore setter Kelsie Walker had 18 assists, 14 digs and three aces for her fourth double-double this year. Sophomore hitter Emily Jaroszewski finished with six kills and five blocks.
Wiley's Larissa Francisco had 19 kills and 16 digs, and Khrystyna Frank added 16 kills and 14 digs. Alexia Souza had 51 assists and 10 digs.
St. Thomas outblocked Wiley, 14-5. The Celts had nine aces to the Wildcats' four.
"We added pressure with our block, and found our timing on their hitters, forcing their hitters to have to move around our block, thus hitting into our defense," Burt said, detailing adjustments the Celts made after finding themselves in the 2-0 hole. "We went from 14 and 18 digs in the first and second sets to 24 digs in the third set. This allowed us to stay in system more offensively."
It was the Celts' second five-set win of the season, and the first in which they recovered from a two-set deficit.
"This comeback helps the team realize they can stay strong and confident when down in a match," Burt said. "We aren't quick to the panic button. They showed real grit, and stuck together."
St. Thomas was on cruise control Saturday behind a .398 attack percentage. Jarvis Christian hit .053. The Celts converted 31 of 42 sideouts for 73 percent. The Bulldogs (8-10, 1-4 RRAC) were 30 of 74 for 40 percent.
St. Thomas held Jarvis Christian to -.200 hitting on two kills and eight errors in 30 attacks in the opening set. The Celts hit .478 on 13 kills and two errors on 23 sings.
The Celts, who hit .367 in the final two sets, led the entire way in the second set, putting down 12 kills with just one error. The Bulldogs hit .029 in the second on nine kills and eight errors.
Jarvis Christian built a lead midway through the third set, but the Celts knotted the score at 17-17 before pulling away. The Bulldogs hit .333 in the third, putting away 14 balls against four errors.
"In the third set, Jarvis really came out swinging, and cut their errors down," Burt said. "They also found us a few times with their block. We stuck with it and again played calm, and worked on playing at our pace."
Orange had nine kills, three blocks, and hit .412. Thomas finished with nine kills, three blocks and a .300 attack percentage. Senior outside hitter Brooke Garcia had seven kills, and hit .429. Rigaut had six kills, four blocks and a .500 hitting percentage. Freshman right side Alyssa Ajlouny had five kills, no errors, and hit a season-high .625.
Westerlage had 22 assists and an ace. Walker had 12 assists and three aces. Fernandez-Miller finished with 13 digs and three aces.
Chantel McCleveland had nine kills, and hit .318 for the Bulldogs. Tinikia Lacy had six kills.
The Celts ripped off nine aces to the Bulldogs' three. St. Thomas had six blocks, while Jarvis Christian had two.
"It's always nice to win at home," Burt said. "We had the basketball team out today. They were nice and loud, and kept the support coming.
"This was our first time at home this season besides our Labor Day Tournament. We have had such a road-heavy schedule, so playing at home with our crowd was great. The fan support brings such a great energy to the gym, and the team feeds on that."
St. Thomas will play its next three matches on the road before returning to Jerabeck for a four-match homestand on Oct. 19.
"We are excited to finish up the first round of conference next week, and get another shot at Our Lady of the Lake University and Huston-Tillotson. We also have to realize that our next matchup with Wiley will be at their gym, and we are going to have to bring it and earn that road win.
"We don't want to be too concerned with our overall record. We want to just keep our head down and keep working away. I think coming into conference as successful as we had been put a big target on us, and we didn't step up to that challenge with a tough opening weekend. It was a good wakeup call at the right time. There are some really strong contenders in the conference, and now that's all that matters. It doesn't matter who we have played in the preseason. It just matters what we are doing moving forward into the second half of conference and into the tournament come November."
Jim McCurdy
