A strong overall effort pushed the Aquinas women's volleyball team past visiting Siena Heights on Saturday (Oct. 14) in the Sturrus Center. AQ outlasted a strong SHU team by taking the third and fourth sets after a 1-1 match tie to earn the season sweep in the Battle of the Saints. The final line score read in AQ's favor, 25-20, 17-25, 25-20, and 25-21.
Aquinas has won eight straight matches and has dropped just five sets during that streak. The Saints are now 23-4 overall and 11-1 in WHAC play. Siena Heights dips to 17-6 on the year and 9-4 in conference play. AQ outlasted SHU 3-2 in Adrian on Sept. 15, but was able to avoid another five-setter thanks to a big comeback in the fourth set.
The home Saints posted 50 kills and a .199 hitting percentage, limiting Siena Heights to just 36 kills and a .054 attack clip. Aquinas also held large advantages in assists (49-32), digs (73-55), and blocks (15-6). The lone category in SHU's favor was service aces, 11-5.
AQ led a tight first set, 17-16, before consecutive Siena Heights errors.
Samee Teachworth followed with a kill, then teamed with
Abbi Perkins and
Michelle Domey on back-to-back combined blocks to make it a 22-16 advantage. Two kills from Domey and one more from Teachworth closed the first frame in AQ's favor.
Siena Heights opened a 13-4 lead in the second set and eventually knotted the match at one set apiece with the 25-17 victory. The visiting Saints led 11-10 in the third set before a big 9-2 run swung the score in AQ's favor, 19-13. Teachworth recorded two kills and two blocks and
Abbi Perkins and
Peyton Goschka added big kills during the run. Siena Heights pulled within 21-19, but Aquinas pulled away with a Domey-
Lauren Chioini combined rejection to win the set.
The match looked like it would head to a fifth frame, as Siena Heights led 18-13. Aquinas rattled off the next four points with a Teachworth-
Jenna Lee block and a kill from Lee pulled the home Saints closer. It was 19-17 in SHU's favor when setter
Lydia Harper posted back-to-back kills and teamed with Chioini for a huge block to swing the score in AQ's advantage, 22-19. Aquinas closed out the victory with consecutive kills from Lee and one final one from Perkins to clinch the triumph.
Domey (11) and Teachworth (10) reached double-digit kills, while Perkins added nine. Lee put away seven kills in just 16 swings for a .438 mark. The Saints were terrific at the net, with Chioini collecting eight blocks, Teachworth having a hand in seven, and Domey supplying five. Lee and Harper added four blocks apiece, with Harper also totaling 43 assists, 15 digs, and four kills.
Jordyn Carlyle picked up a match-best 16 digs and Goschka picked up 11.
Chloe Hogarth added eight digs.
Jennifer Johnson served up two of AQ's five aces.
Aquinas – 12-2 at home this season – welcome crosstown rival Cornerstone on Wednesday (Oct. 18) at 7:00 p.m. The Saints earned a big road sweep over CU on Sept. 20 and look for the season sweep on Wednesday in the Sturrus Center.
