Grand Rapids, Mich. — The Aquinas women's volleyball team added two more wins on Friday (Sept. 8) on the first day of the Aquinas/Cornerstone Invite. The Saints (9-2 overall) are now riding a seven match win streak after taking down Grace, 3-1, and IU-South Bend, 3-2.

After Friday's matches, the Grace Lancers dropped to 8-2 overall and the IUSB Titans sit at 1-11 overall. 

Aquinas 3, Grace 1 (25-17, 25-14, 22-25, 25-23)

Entering the match the two teams had a cumulative record of 14-3 overall. The Saints dealt the Lancers their second loss of the season after dominating the first two sets, nearly coming back to steal the third set before closing things out in the fourth frame.

AQ scored the first five points of the match with versatile junior setter Lydia Harper behind the service line. Grace got back within three points a couple times, but the Saints finished the opening set off with another decisive 5-0 run. Samee Teachworth and Harper had kills in the set-winning spurt, while Cece Pelak notched an ace on set point, 25-17.

The second set was more of the same as the Saints raced out to an early 8-3 advantage. AQ's offense was lethal in the set with a .714 hitting percentage (15 kills on 21 attack attempts with no errors). Michelle Domey put down one of her 13 kills during the match on set point to secure a 25-14 win.

Grace fought back in the third set, but it wasn't as straightforward as the Lancers thought it would be once they took a 19-12 lead. Aquinas chipped away with a 4-0 run followed by a 3-0 run to tie the score at 21-21. Tied at 22-22, Grace scored the last three points with two kills from Anna Ballengee.

The Lancers scored six straight points in the fourth set to erase a 21-15 deficit. A nail-bitting finish went the way of the Saints with Harper picking up the final kill of the match. She finished with nine kills on 20 attempts (.400 hitting percentage) to go with a match-high 38 assists, nine digs and two aces.

Abbi Perkins led the Saints with 14 kills and had the best hitting percentage (.440). AQ hit .242 as a team and held Grace to .113. AQ also had a season-high 16 aces with Jordyn Carlyle and Pelak leading the way with five each.

Aquinas 3, IU-South Bend 2 (19-25, 20-25, 25-18, 25-20, 15-10)

Mistakes proved to be costly for the Saints in the first set against IU-South Bend. AQ committed 11 attack errors — four of which came on IUSB blocks — to help the Titans reached 25 points first despite them only connecting on 10 kills.

Tied at 12-12 in the second set, Perkins put the Saints on her shoulders with a dramatic kill at the net after it appeared the Titans had recovered from a possible AQ kill seconds beforehand. Then, on the next point, Perkins put up a block with Teachworth that forced the Titans into a timeout. Just when it seemed momentum had shifted in the Saints' favor, IUSB put together a 6-0 run to take an 18-15 lead and forced AQ into a timeout. The Titans never relinquished their three-point cushion on their way to a 25-20 second set win. IU-South Bend was now a set away from winning its second match this season.

AQ removed any doubts that they were going to get swept with a 7-1 run in the middle of the third frame to carry them to a much-needed 25-18 set win. Perkins had half of the Saints' kills in the set (seven out of 14). AQ picked up five points on aces.

Aquinas went down 7-3 to start the fourth set but rallied to a 25-20 win to lift the Saints to their second five-set match this season. And just like the first time AQ went the distance against La Sierra on Aug. 17, the Saints marched away with another marathon victory. The teams switched sides in the fifth set with the Saints already leading 8-3. AQ closed out the match with setter tip-kill from Harper at 15-10.

AQ reach double-digit kills in each set, including 10 in the fifth set. IU-South Bend didn't register a kill on 17 attack attempts in the final frame.

Perkins finished with a career-high 22 kills. Harper picked up a new season-best 51 assists. Carlyle (17) and Peyton Goschka (11) each had double-digit digs. Jenna Lee picked up 11 kills on 26 attack attempts with no errors (.423 hitting percentage). 

The Saints play two more matches tomorrow on Day 2 of the Aquinas/Cornerstone Classic. After St. Francis (Ill.) plays Grace at 11 a.m. inside the Sturrus Center, AQ will challenge St. Francis at 1 p.m. and then No. 22-ranked Mount Vernon Nazarene at 3 p.m.