SHERMAN, TX-- The University of St. Thomas' Volleyball team defeated Centenary 3-0 on Saturday at Hughey Gym, winning the sets 25-16, 25-15 and 25-18. The Celts gained control of the match with key scoring runs in each set to secure the sweep. The win improves St. Thomas to a 5-12 overall record and to 4-7 in conference play.
St. Thomas opened the first set with an early lead, but Centenary battled back to tie the score at 10-10. The Celts responded by pulling away, with
Brooke Barnes recording a kill to put UST ahead 11-10.
Sara Randall's kill and a block by Barnes and Randall helped push the lead to 16-11.Â
Cailin Brokaw followed with a kill to make it 17-11. UST maintained its separation through the closing points to take the set 25-16.
The Celts again found their rhythm after a close start in the second set. With the score tied 8-8, UST used kills from
Katelyn Marti and Randall, along with a block by the pair, to build a 16-10 lead.
Audrey Cataline added a service ace as the advantage grew to 20-11, while Barnes and Johnson contributed kills during the run. St. Thomas kept Centenary at a distance and closed out the set 25-15 to move within one set of the sweep.
In the third set, the teams traded points early before UST created separation from an 8-8 tie. Cataline helped the Celts move ahead 11-8, and the lead continued to grow.
Jada Stallworth's service ace and a Barnes kill helped extend the advantage to 16-11, and UST moved ahead 18-11 before Johnson added another kill to make it 19-11. Centenary narrowed the margin to 20-16, but the Celts held on to their lead and finished the sweep, 25-18.
St. Thomas finished with 43 kills, 5 service aces, 3 blocks, 39 assists and 52 digs. Barnes led the team with 10 kills, followed by Johnson with 7 and
Ariana Willis with 6. Stallworth recorded 23 assists and 6 digs, while Cataline led the Celts with 15 digs. Randall finished with 3 blocks, and Marti added 2.
Up Next
The Celts return to SCAC play on Friday, November 6, traveling to Seguin, Texas, to face Texas Lutheran University. The first serve is scheduled to begin at 6PM.
