The University of St. Thomas volleyball team will host Huston-Tillotson 6 p.m. Friday on Senior Night to begin a high-stakes weekend in the Jerabeck Activity & Athletic Center. The Celts wrap up the regular season with a home match versus Our Lady of the Lake 1 p.m. Saturday on Parents Day.
Both matches will decide the Red River Athletic Conference regular season championship. St. Thomas is a loss out of first place in a bunched-up RRAC standings with a 7-3 league record. Huston-Tillotson and OLLU are both 8-2 in the league. Wiley is 8-3.
The Celts dropped the early-round regular season matches against Huston-Tillotson and Our Lady of the Lake – both on the road. UST split with Wiley during the season, each team winning on its home court. The Celts have already qualified for the RRAC Tournament, which will be held Nov. 9-10 at OLLU in San Antonio.
Six UST seniors will play their final matches at the JAAC this weekend. Libero Lauren Fernandez-Miller (SR/Houston, Texas) and middle blocker Sophie Rigaut (SR/Riedisheim, France ) have spent their entire careers in Celts Red and Gold. Fernandez-Miller, who was named the RRAC Defender of the Week last week, leads the league in digs and digs per set. Rigaut, who has recovered from an injury, is hitting roughly .300.
Right side hitter Kayden Thomas (SR/Huffman, Texas), a transfer from San Jacinto College, is third on the team in kills and first in blocks and 5th overall in the league in blocks per set. Outside hitter Brooke Garcia (SR/Spring, Texas) is second on the team in kills and fifth in the league in attack percentage and kills per set. Setter Hannah Westerlage (SR/Dickinson, Texas), a San Jacinto transfer, is fifth in the RRAC in assists per set. Outside hitter Bresha Orange (SR/Longview, Texas), a transfer from Panola College, leads the league in kills, and is second in hitting percentage. She was named the RRAC Attacker of the Week last week and is ranked 7th nationally.
"We talk about them not getting too emotional," St. Thomas fifth-year coach Keanne Burt said. "But it's a large group of high-impacting players that we're going to graduate, so it is sad to see them go, especially Sophie and Lauren, who've been with us for four years. They're the first class I recruited when I took the position here at St. Thomas. And then Kayden, I was her high school coach, so I've known her since she was a freshman in high school... developing a strong relationship with Brooke over the last three years and everything she has come to achieve…Hannah being such a strong respected leader, and really getting to see her personality come out… And Bresha coming to us as a transfer from Panola her sophomore year, being such an impact player with a high spirit, full of energy! It's a good group of good people. They make it easy to be here."
"They're going to be a hard group to replace just because they're good workers, they're very motivational to each other, and they do a good job of challenging each other. There's a lot of trash talking that happens, but it's all in the love of it like, 'Oh, you got that kill on me. I'm going to block you the next time.' They have such competitive personalities so, they've definitely kind of set that tone and pace for practices, and it will be missed."
On a team that has title aspirations, Friday and Saturday's matches feature high-level volleyball with much to gain for the Celts.
"That's of course what we've talked about, 'Live in it. Live in the moment,'" Burt said. "Don't build it up too big where it's like, 'This is my last home senior game.' and thats all our focus. Instead stay level-headed… this is the last game here, but we're not done, and we don't want it to be done."
The Celts come into the final weekend of regular season play 22-6 but more importantly 10-0 on their home court.
"We would love to make it 12-0 at home this season and we know we can. Having a loud and rowdy crowd will only help us add the pressure to the visiting teams. We have an opportunity to win these last two games and take a conference title. Feeling the support and energy of the student section, and family and friends cheering the team on is a great gift to these Seniors."
Jim McCurdy
