Less than one month after the Aquinas women's volleyball team lost a five-set battle to visiting UNOH by a 15-11 fifth set score, the Saints flipped the script on Friday night (Oct. 18) in Lima, Ohio, winning by the same 15-11 score to knock off the Racers on their home floor. AQ won the first, fourth, and fifth sets to move to 8-4 in conference play and pull even with UNOH in the WHAC standings.
On Friday, Aquinas won the contest by scores of 25-21, 19-25, 19-25, 25-21, and 15-11. The Saints move above .500 with an 11-10 overall mark and are now 8-4 in league action. UNOH drops to 18-8 on the season and is also 8-4 in conference play.
When the teams met on Sept. 22 in the Sturrus Center in Grand Rapids, AQ led the match by a 2-1 score before UNOH took set four (25-20) and five (15-11) for the early-season victory. The scores were nearly identical on Friday, but the teams were reversed, with the Saints winning set four (25-21) and five (15-11) for a clutch conference win.
It is Aquinas' 11th five-set match out of its first 21 contests this season.
After splitting the first four sets, the teams went to the fifth frame and AQ opened a 5-2 lead with back-to-back kills from
Maddie Ingraham. The Saints pushed out to a 9-5 cushion with consecutive rejections;
Kali Crawford teamed with
Payton Klein on the first block and with
Kylie Christensen on the second.
UNOH rallied within 10-9 when Christensen put down a big kill. It was 12-10 after a Racer error, when
Karly Morris served an ace for the 13-10 edge. AQ remained in front at 14-11 and Ingraham ended the match with her eighth and final kill of the contest.
Offensively, UNOH was more efficient (.186) compared to AQ's .147 attack clip, but managed just one more kill (53-52) than the Saints. However, Aquinas posted a 14-8 advantage in total blocks and a 10-6 cushion in aces. The Racers did hold slight leads in both digs (59-57) and assists (50-48).
Christensen led the Aquinas offense with a team-best 16 kills and a .414 hitting percentage, but also topped the Saints defense with a match-best eight blocks (two solo, six assists). Klein added a full statline with 10 kills, six block assists, five digs, and two aces. Ingraham posted eight kills and three block assists.
Jackie Rozell provided seven kills, five digs, two blocks, and a pair of aces. Crawford passed for 43 assists, while totaling seven digs, six kills, five block assists, and two aces, as Morris picked up a team-high 17 digs and served three aces.
Meredith Kraus chipped in six digs, four kills, and two block assists.
Sam VanHouten and
Adrien Yondo each picked up six digs.
AQ stays on the road and looks to complete a big 3-0 week with a 1:00 match on Saturday (Oct. 19) in Fort Wayne, Ind. against Indiana Tech.
