The Aquinas women's volleyball team kicked off its Homecoming homestand against Indiana Tech on Saturday (Sept. 21) in the Sturrus Center, with the teams playing a two-hour, 10-minute match that eventually saw the Saints prevail with the 3-2 victory. After splitting the first four sets, Aquinas used a 10-3 run to close out the match and win set five by a 15-8 final.
AQ and Indiana Tech alternated wins in the first four sets before the pivotal fifth frame. Overall, the Saints won by set scores of 25-18, 26-28, 26-24, 18-25, and 15-8. There were 31 tie scores and 12 lead changes in the match, including a second stanza that was tied 16 times.
With the win, Aquinas evens its WHAC record at 1-1 and is 4-7 overall. Indiana Tech dropped its second match in Grand Rapids this weekend, as the Warriors fall to 10-4 on the year and 2-2 in league action.
The Saints led Tech in most categories, including Aquinas (.243) holding a distinct advantage in hitting percentage over the Warriors (.153). AQ held edges in kills (66-57), assists (61-55), aces (7-6) and blocks (10-3), while Indiana Tech led in digs, 82-76.
After the Warriors dominated set four to push to the fifth frame, the teams were tied at 5-5. Back-to-back Tech errors were followed by a
Meredith Kraus kill and a combined rejection from
Jackie Rozell and
Kylie Christensen for the 9-5 advantage. Leading 9-6, Christensen posted consecutive kills and another moments later for the 12-8 lead.
Maddie Ingraham followed with a kill and Kraus delivered a solo block for the 14-8 cushion. A Tech attack error ended the match in AQ' favor and capped the 10-3 run to end the match. It was the Saints' second win in five sets this year, after dropping three of the first four such contests.
Four AQ players cracked double-digits in kills, led by a match-best 16 kills from Christensen, who hit .387 in the match. She added four block assists and three digs. Rozell provided a double-double of 14 kills and 14 digs, to go with four block assists and three aces.
Payton Klein put down 13 kills and hit .357, while notching five block assists.
Ingraham delivered 12 kills, two blocks, and two digs.
Kali Crawford also notched a double-double with 48 assists and 18 digs, to go with four kills and a block.
Karly Morris was one assist shy of a double-double, putting up a team-high 22 digs, nine assists, and two aces. Kraus supplied five digs and four kills, to go with two blocks and her crucial late solo rejection.
Kenzie Sanders notched three kills in seven swings.
AQ concludes Homecoming Weekend with a 1:00 p.m. match against UNOH on Sunday (Sept. 22).
