NEW YORK, NY-- St. Thomas Volleyball opened the 2026 season with a hard-fought five-set battle against Emerson at the John A. Paulson Center. After dropping the first two sets, UST battled back to win the next two and force a deciding fifth set but fell short in the final set. The Celts fell 2-3, 18-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-23, 16-18, to move to 0-1 overall.
In the opening set, UST fell behind 3-0 before kills from Ariana Willis and Alexis Bodunrin helped the Celts pull even at 4-4. Bodunrin then added two consecutive service aces to bring UST back even at 8-8. Emerson responded with a series of points to build a 19-9 advantage. UST fought back behind kills from Audrey Cataline and Willis, trimming the deficit to 19-13, but Emerson closed the set 25-18.
UST started the second set quickly, using back-to-back aces from Cataline and a kill from Willis to take a 4-1 lead. The Celts extended their advantage to 11-7 behind a block and an ace from Bodunrin, but Emerson answered and eventually tied the set at 14-14. UST battled back late from an 18-21 deficit, with kills from Katelyn Marti, Cataline, and Bodunrin helping the Celts tie the frame at 22-22. Emerson scored the final three points to take the set 25-22.
The Celts responded in the third set after falling behind 6-0. Cataline's ace and kills from Bodunrin and Willis helped UST cut the deficit to 6-9, and the Celts continued to battle until kills from Cataline and Bodunrin helped tie the set at 16-16. After Emerson briefly moved back in front, Bodunrin answered with a kill, Lange followed with an ace, and another Bodunrin kill put UST ahead 19-17. Emerson tied the set at 21-21, but Alexie Martinez served an ace and Cataline added a kill before Martinez delivered another ace to close the set 25-21.
UST carried that momentum into the fourth set, opening with a 3-0 lead behind an early point from Jada Stallworth and a service ace from Stallworth. The Celts remained in front through the middle portion of the set, taking a 16-14 advantage before Emerson rallied to tie the frame at 17-17 and 18-18. UST answered with a kill from Cataline to help move ahead 21-18, but Emerson again battled back to tie the set at 21-21. The teams traded points late before Emerson took a 24-23 lead and closed the set 25-23 to force a deciding fifth set.
In the final set, UST stayed within reach from the opening points as Cataline and Bodunrin provided kills and Martinez added a service ace. The Celts battled back from an 8-11 deficit to tie the set at 11-11, then Lange served an ace to make it 13-13 before a UST block put the Celts ahead 14-13. Emerson answered to tie the frame at 14-14, but Willis added a kill to make it 15-15 and Bodunrin put UST back in front 16-15. Emerson scored the final three points to take the set 18-16 and the match 3-2.
Bodunrin led the Celts with 25 kills, three aces, and four blocks, while Cataline added 12 kills, three aces, and 14 digs. Willis finished with nine kills and five blocks, while Noor Haydari contributed three blocks and Martinez recorded three aces. Stallworth led the setting effort with 25 assists and added 19 digs, while Cailin Brokaw recorded 21 assists. Lange anchored the back row with 33 digs and added seven assists. As a team, UST finished with 64 kills, 12 aces, nine blocks, 60 assists, and 94 digs.
Up Next
The Celts will continue their season-opening trip with their next match in New York as they prepare to face Montclair State University. The match is scheduled to take place Saturday, September 12 at 9AM CST.
