IRVING, TX-- St. Thomas' Volleyball team opened SCAC play with a 3-0 sweep over the University of Dallas on Friday at the Maher Athletic Center, winning by scores of 25-19, 25-10, and 25-22. The Celts controlled the second set from the opening points and battled through a closer third set to secure the sweep. The win moves St. Thomas to 2-5 overall and 1-0 in SCAC play.
St. Thomas took an early 8-2 lead in the opening set behind kills from Ariana Willis and Audrey Cataline, with Cataline producing three kills during the early run. Dallas answered to cut the margin to 10-6, but the Celts continued to add to their lead. Alexis Bodunrin and Cataline helped St. Thomas move ahead 16-8, while Noor Haydari and Carly Lange added kills as the Celts reached an 18-8 advantage. Dallas made a late push to pull within 19-16, but Bodunrin, Cataline and Cailin Brokaw helped St. Thomas regain control. Brokaw finished the set with back-to-back kills as the Celts closed out the 25-19 win.
The Celts carried that momentum into the second set, racing out to an 11-1 lead. Bodunrin opened the frame with a service ace, while Sydney Nevill and Haydari contributed blocks and Haydari added two kills during the early surge. St. Thomas continued to control the set, with Morgan Gardner adding a kill and Cataline recording another ace to make it 15-3. Dallas briefly trimmed the deficit, but St. Thomas answered with kills from Gardner and Nevill before Brokaw took over from the service line. Brokaw recorded an ace and a block involving Haydari which helped push the Celts to 23-10. Brokaw added another ace before St. Thomas closed the set 25-10.
Dallas opened the third set with a 4-0 lead, but St. Thomas quickly began to chip away. Bodunrin and Casey Hyde helped the Celts pull within 9-5, and Jazilyn Davis sparked a major response with a kill, service ace and another kill from Ta'Niyah Johnson as St. Thomas tied the set at 14-14. Johnson added another kill to give the Celts a 13-14 deficit before St. Thomas pulled even again at 15-15. The teams continued to trade points, reaching a 19-19 tie before Brokaw's service ace and a pair of Dallas attack errors put St. Thomas ahead 22-19. Cataline added a block and the Celts reached match point at 24-21. Dallas answered once, but Bodunrin delivered the final kill to complete the 25-22 victory and the three-set sweep.
Cataline led the Celts with 12 kills, while Bodunrin added eight kills. Haydari recorded three kills and two blocks, while Cataline added one block. Lange and Brokaw each recorded three aces, while Cataline added one. Stallworth finished with 13 assists, Brokaw had 10 assists, and Lange added three. Lange also led St. Thomas with 10 digs, followed by Cataline and Stallworth with six each. As a team, the Celts recorded 40 kills, nine aces, four blocks, 28 assists and 29 digs.
Up Next
The Celts return to action on Sunday, September 27 at 2 PM where they will host Concordia University Texas in SCAC play in their home court, the JAAC, Houston, Texas.
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