SEGUIN, TX-- The University of St. Thomas's Volleyball team battled Texas Lutheran in a five-set match Friday night at Memorial Gymnasium, falling 3-2. The Celts took the second and third sets to claim a 2-1 match lead before the Bulldogs rallied to win the final two sets. UST dropped the match by set scores of 23-25, 25-15, 25-19, 19-25 and 14-16. The loss leaves the Celts at 5-13 overall and 4-8 in the SCAC.
Texas Lutheran took the opening set 25-23 after building an early lead. UST stayed within striking distance, closing the gap to 11-9 and later 16-13. Alexis Bodunrin recorded three kills late in the set, including consecutive points to pull UST within 24-23, but Texas Lutheran secured the final point.
The Celts responded in the second set, taking control early with a 6-1 run after the score was tied at 1-1. UST extended its advantage to 14-7 before Texas Lutheran cut the lead to 15-11. The Celts answered with a kill from Bodunrin to keep the momentum going. UST closed the set with a kill by Ariana Willis as they pulled away for the 25-15 win.
UST carried that momentum into the third set, which featured an early back-and-forth battle that reached an 8-8 tie. Texas Lutheran moved ahead 16-12, but the Celts mounted a comeback. Cataline recorded consecutive kills as UST closed the gap and moved in front, while Bodunrin added a service ace during the run. The Celts finished the set 25-19 with a kill from Cataline and a block by Haydari and Willis, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
Texas Lutheran evened the match with a 25-19 win in the fourth set. UST opened with a 2-0 lead and stayed close through the early stages, but the Bulldogs moved ahead 10-7 and extended the margin to 16-12. UST continued to fight, with a block involving Ta'Niyah Johnson and Cataline helping cut the deficit to 18-17, but Texas Lutheran pulled away late to force a deciding fifth set.
In the final set, UST trailed 9-6 before a three-point run put the Celts in front 11-9. Cataline and Katelyn Marti recorded kills during the rally, while a block by Marti and Haydari helped extend the run. Texas Lutheran responded with five straight points to take a 14-11 lead. UST fought back to tie the score at 14-14, with Haydari recording a kill and Texas Lutheran attack errors bringing the Celts even. The Bulldogs scored the final two points to claim the set 16-14 and the match 3-2.
Bodunrin led UST with 18 kills and two service aces, while Cataline added 13 kills, one ace and 22 digs. Willis finished with 9 kills and 3 blocks, and Haydari recorded 6 blocks. Stallworth totaled 22 assists and 20 digs, Davis added 18 assists and 2 aces, and Lange led the Celts with 53 digs and contributed 8 assists. As a team, UST recorded 52 kills, 6 aces, 8 blocks, 51 assists and 135 digs.
Up Next
The Celts continue SCAC play Saturday, Nov. 7, traveling to Austin, Texas, to face Concordia University Texas. First serve is scheduled for 12PM.
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