NEW YORK, NY-- St. Thomas' Volleyball team earned its first win of the 2026 season with a 3-0 sweep over Montclair State at the John A. Paulson Center. The victory gives UST early momentum as the Celts continue building confidence in the new season. The Celts defeated Montclair State 25-16, 25-22, 25-14 to improve to 1-1 overall.
In the opening set, UST answered an early deficit with kills from Alexis Bodunrin, Audrey Cataline, and Ariana Willis before Bodunrin's ace helped the Celts pull even at 6-6. After Montclair State briefly regained the lead, Jada Stallworth's ace and a block from Bodunrin and Ta'Niyah Johnson helped UST move ahead 12-11. The Celts continued to build separation behind kills from Bodunrin, Cataline, and Carly Lange, while service aces from Lange, Cailin Brokaw, and Bodunrin pushed UST to a 23-15 advantage. Cataline finished the set with a kill as the Celts took it 25-16.
UST fell behind 2-0 to open the second set, but kills from Willis and Cataline, along with a service ace from Lange, helped the Celts move ahead 5-3. Montclair State answered to tie the set at 6-6, but Katelyn Marti and Sydney Nevill provided kills while Alexie Martinez added a service ace to keep UST in front. The Celts used blocks from Brokaw and Noor Haydari to build a 17-14 advantage, but Montclair State rallied and briefly moved ahead 20-19. UST responded with steady attacking and strong serving from Martinez to regain control, closing the set 25-22.
The Celts carried that momentum into the third set, opening an 8-3 lead behind a kill from Haydari, a block by Bodunrin, a Brokaw service ace, and several Montclair State attack errors. Brokaw added another kill, and Haydari followed with a second kill to help UST extend its advantage to 11-3. Bodunrin's ace and a kill from Cataline kept the Celts in command as UST reached a 16-7 lead. After Montclair State trimmed the margin, Bodunrin and Haydari helped UST maintain its advantage before Martinez closed the match with back-to-back service aces and a final block from Marti and Ta'Niyah Johnson. The Celts claimed the third set 25-14 to complete the sweep.
Bodunrin led the Celts with 13 kills, four aces, three blocks, and seven digs. Cataline and Willis added five kills apiece, while Martinez recorded four aces. Lange contributed two aces, 14 digs, and four assists, while Haydari and Johnson each recorded two blocks. Stallworth led UST with 16 assists and seven digs, and Brokaw added 11 assists. As a team, the Celts finished with 33 kills, 13 aces, five blocks, 32 assists, and 44 digs.
Up Next
The Celts hope to continue their momentum as they return to action on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 11:15 a.m. CT against New York University.
