SAN ANTONIO, TX-- St. Thomas' Volleyball battled Trinity University in a four-set match Saturday at the Bell Center, falling 3-1 by scores of 13-25, 25-18, 20-25, and 15-25. The Celts responded after dropping the opening set by taking the second frame, but Trinity used late runs in the third and fourth sets to close out the match. The result moves the Celts to 1-5 overall on the season.
In the opening set, St. Thomas stayed within striking distance early before Trinity began to build separation. Alexis Bodunrin and Audrey Cataline recorded kills as the Celts moved to 4-2, but Trinity answered with a run to take an 8-4 advantage. Sydney Nevill helped St. Thomas respond with back-to-back kills, cutting the deficit to 12-8, but Trinity continued to extend its lead. Cataline added another kill and Nevill contributed a block as the Celts reached 11-17, but Trinity closed the set with eight of the final 10 points to take the opening frame 25-13.
St. Thomas answered immediately in the second set, opening with a 3-0 lead behind a Cataline kill and a service ace from Jada Stallworth. Trinity pulled even at 6-6, but two Trinity attack errors put the Celts back in front 8-6. St. Thomas continued to build its advantage, with Cataline adding an ace and Bodunrin following with a kill to make it 15-10. Bodunrin added another kill as the Celts extended the margin to 19-12, while Nevill and the St. Thomas defense helped keep Trinity from closing the gap. St. Thomas maintained the advantage through the finish, with Bodunrin delivering another kill as the Celts evened the match with a 25-18 win.
The third set remained close throughout, with neither team able to establish more than a small advantage early. Bodunrin produced a kill and an ace as St. Thomas moved in front 6-4, while Cataline and other Celts contributed kills to keep the set tight. St. Thomas held leads of 10-9, 12-11 and 14-12 before Trinity pulled even. The Celts battled back behind kills from Bodunrin and Nevill, and a Nevill-Willis block helped St. Thomas take a 19-17 lead. The teams were tied again at 20-20 before Trinity scored five straight points to close the set 25-20.
Trinity carried that momentum into the fourth set, although St. Thomas stayed close early. Stallworth opened the frame with an ace, while Cataline contributed a kill as the Celts reached a 5-5 tie. Lange added a service ace, but Trinity moved ahead 11-6. St. Thomas answered with five straight points to tie the set at 11-11, with Gardner Morgan and Bodunrin recording kills, a block from Ta'Niyah Johnson and Morgan Gardner stopping a Trinity attack, and Bodunrin adding an ace. Trinity regained the lead at 13-12 and pushed ahead 16-13, but a Brooke Barnes kill brought the Celts within 14-16. Trinity then scored six straight points to take a 22-14 lead. Ariana Willis added a final kill for the Celts, but Trinity closed the set 25-15 to secure the match.
Bodunrin led the Celts with 12 kills, two aces, two blocks and 10 digs, while Cataline added nine kills, an ace and 16 digs. Nevill finished with seven kills and six blocks. Stallworth contributed two aces and 18 assists, Brokaw recorded 16 assists, and Lange posted 27 digs and six assists. As a team, St. Thomas recorded 45 kills, six aces, eight blocks, 43 assists and 63 digs.
Up Next
The Celts begin SCAC play on Friday, September 25, at 6 PM when they travel to Irving, Texas as they prepare to face the University of Dallas.
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