Dearborn, Mich. -- The Saints keep on trucking, and Ryan Campbell keeps checking the mirrors. With a roster full of talent and a tight-knit team collecting wins and national attention, the Aquinas head coach remains the resident nervous Nellie — determined that nobody overlooks an opponent or spends too much time admiring all those glowing articles. Friday's trip to UM-Dearborn offered another chance to reach double figures in WHAC victories, and the Wolverines supplied a reminder of exactly why Campbell keeps his foot on the preparation pedal.
No. 6 Aquinas 3, UM-Dearborn 1 (25-6, 25-19, 22-25, 25-11)
Aquinas wasted little time establishing its intentions, hitting .542 with 15 kills and just two attack errors in a commanding opening set. Kate Schneider delivered three early kills, helping the Saints build a 5-3 advantage before Kami Morse took control from the service line. Morse's turn produced seven consecutive AQ points, with Nevaeh Bakker supplying three kills and Morse adding three straight aces to stretch the lead to 12-3. Kaylyn Tuck kept the pressure coming with consecutive kills, and Olivia Dennis contributed two aces during another productive service run that pushed the margin to 18-4. Cece Pelak added consecutive Saints kills down the stretch, while Alexa Eden set up Jayla Martin for a finish that brought AQ to set point. Martin then put away Natalie West's delivery to complete the 25-6 statement.
The second set featured more contributions from across the roster, with Soniah Robinson repeatedly giving West another reliable option at the net. Katelyn Orlowski and Eden each served an ace as Aquinas established a 12-5 cushion. Sarah Curtis helped fuel the early advantage from the service line, while a Sophie Munch service turn included a Robinson kill and a combined block by West and Bakker. Schneider and Martin teamed for another rejection, and Bakker supplied consecutive Saints kills as the lead reached 20-14. Dearborn trimmed the deficit to 20-17, but Eden answered with an ace, Martin added a kill and AQ finished the set on a Wolverine attack error for a 25-19 victory.
The third set was Campbell's cautionary tale brought to life, with 14 ties and five lead changes turning the evening into a much tougher conversation. Robinson, Martin and West helped Aquinas break a 15-15 tie with three straight points during Audrey Gil's service turn, and the Saints eventually extended their advantage to 22-17. Dearborn refused to cooperate with the anticipated finish, scoring the final eight points to steal the set, 25-22. Aquinas managed just a .091 hitting percentage in the frame, leaving the Maroon and White with a reset to make rather than a sweep to celebrate.
West supplied that reset immediately, opening the fourth set with an ace and following it with another. Pelak added an ace, Martin delivered a solo block and Morse's service turn helped send Aquinas charging ahead, 11-2. Schneider recorded three kills before the Saints reached 12-3, and Tuck added another during Dennis' turn at the line. When Dearborn narrowed a 14-4 deficit to 14-10, Bakker stopped the run with a kill and Eden took over serving. Aquinas scored eight more consecutive points on Eden's serve, with Pelak contributing three kills, Martin and Pelak combining for a block, and West adding a kill as the advantage ballooned to 23-10. Martin brought the Saints to match point, and West delivered the perfect bookend: The fourth set started and ended with her serving an ace.
Schneider led Aquinas with 10 kills, while Martin supplied nine kills, six total blocks and a team-high 12.5 points. Bakker was exceptionally efficient with eight kills on 13 swings, just one error and a .538 hitting percentage, adding four block assists. Robinson finished with seven kills without an attack error and hit .467, Tuck added seven kills, and Pelak contributed five kills in two sets. Morse anchored the defense with 15 digs and led the serving attack with five aces, while Munch collected nine digs and Brooke Price added six digs and an assist. Eden finished with two aces and two assists, Dennis added two aces, and the Saints totaled 16 aces and 10 team blocks while outhitting the Wolverines, .319 to .103.
Aquinas improved to 28-1 overall and 10-0 in the WHAC, while UM-Dearborn slipped to 4-21 overall and 1-9 in conference play. The Saints continue to carry a national profile worthy of the attention: No. 6 in the NAIA Top 25, No. 6 in the RPI, No. 1 in the North bracket of the ARC ratings and No. 5 in the latest Massey ratings.
What a Week I'm Having
Natalie West is the current WHAC Setter of the Week. NAIA Setter of the Week. And now, 2,000 career assists — in just her second year on the AQ roster.
West put a cherry on top of an already remarkable week Friday night, reaching the 2,000-assist milestone for her Aquinas career while helping direct the Saints to another WHAC victory. With plenty of volleyball still ahead of her in the Maroon and White, she continues to build an impressive résumé.
Against UM-Dearborn, West handed out 39 assists, averaging 9.75 per set, and contributed five kills without an attack error for a .455 hitting percentage. She also collected six digs, three block assists and four service aces, finishing with 10.5 points. Across the four sets, she averaged 1.25 kills, 1.50 digs, 0.75 blocks and 2.63 points per set — and delivered a memorable finishing touch by opening and closing the fourth set with an ace.
Her 2026 season totals alone tell the story of a setter whose impact reaches well beyond distributing the ball. Through Friday's match, West has recorded 883 assists in 90 sets, averaging 9.81 assists per set. She has added 106 kills at 1.18 per set while hitting .326, along with 188 digs at 2.09 per set and 68 total blocks at 0.76 per set. Her 57 service aces and 201 points — an average of 2.23 points per set — further illustrate how many ways she helps the Saints win.
A milestone for her career. A standout season still unfolding. And she is only a sophomore.
Saints Snapshots
- The standard travels. Another conference road trip ended with another Aquinas victory, keeping the Saints unbeaten in WHAC play and perfect away from home this season.
- Depth with a purpose. Robinson's efficient attacking, Dennis' serving and Eden's closing-set run reinforced how many different Saints can help shape a winning night.
- A response worth remembering. After watching the third set slip away, AQ answered with conviction, immediately reclaiming control and finishing the fourth with authority.
- Recognition meets responsibility. West's conference and national honors came with another complete performance, a career milestone and a steady hand directing the Saints.
- The destination stays the same. Rankings bring attention, but Campbell's Saints continue building toward the bigger prize: a long postseason run and a chance to chase the NAIA red banner.
Coach's Comments
For Campbell, the third set illustrated exactly why he keeps his team grounded, regardless of its record or national ranking. He welcomed the decisive response in the fourth, but emphasized that the Saints must turn those lessons into continued growth as they work toward a long postseason run.
"The third set was a reminder of why we cannot look past anyone," Campbell said. "We had a lead, and Dearborn kept competing and made us pay when we didn't finish. I liked how we responded in the fourth, but we have to keep learning from those moments. This team continues to find ways to improve, and we have a lot of people contributing to that growth. The rankings and recognition are great, but our goal requires more than a good headline. We have to keep working, keep growing together and keep preparing for the kind of long postseason run we want to make."
Up Next
No rest for Campbell's crew: Get home from Dearborn, grab some sleep and hit the road to Kalamazoo. Aquinas returns to action today, Saturday, Oct. 10, for a nonconference match against the Kalamazoo College Hornets at 1 p.m.
Be sure to visit AQSaints.com for live statistics, streaming links, updates, stories, features and complete postgame coverage of Aquinas women's volleyball and all other Saints sports.
It's a great day to be a Saint.
