Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Some nights deserve more than a final score. They deserve the noise, the nerves, the impossible saves and the feeling that nobody in the building wants to miss the next point. Friday at Coach Bo Court delivered all of it, as the ninth-ranked Aquinas women's volleyball team followed Wednesday's rivalry victory at Cornerstone with nine sets against two nationally ranked opponents, a school-record performance and a breakthrough years in the making. With a lively crowd supplying the soundtrack and just 45 minutes separating matches, the Maroon and White turned an exhausting assignment into a night worth remembering. A season usually reserved for your dreams keeps becoming the Saints' reality.
No. 9 Aquinas 3, No. 23 Spring Arbor 2 (25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 27-29, 15-7)
Match 1 — 4 p.m.
The afternoon began with a reminder that nationally ranked opponents rarely make themselves comfortable in the passenger seat. Spring Arbor jumped ahead 3-0 and stretched its opening-set advantage to 11-6, forcing Aquinas to find its footing against a confident Cougars squad. Cece Pelak helped ignite the response, Kate Schneider supplied a kill and Kaylyn Tuck joined Jayla Martin for a block as the Saints pulled within 11-10. Kami Morse's service turn then helped AQ move ahead 14-12, with a Pelak kill and a Morse ace contributing to the reversal. Olivia Dennis added an ace, Nevaeh Bakker delivered timely offense and Aquinas built a 24-19 advantage before weathering three straight Spring Arbor points to secure the opener, 25-22.
The second set offered the first major swing in an afternoon full of them. Aquinas established an 11-5 lead and later held a 20-14 advantage, with Pelak repeatedly finishing Natalie West's deliveries and Sophie Munch, Alexa Eden and Dennis each contributing an ace. Spring Arbor kept coming, however, chipping away until the Saints' lead had narrowed to 23-20. The Cougars scored the final five points, stealing the set, 25-23, and leveling the match. Any thought of a routine afternoon had officially left the building.
Aquinas answered in the third with Martin becoming a particularly important source of offense. The Saints led 16-12 before Spring Arbor strung together five straight points to take a 17-16 edge. Kills from Martin, Schneider and Pelak restored a 19-17 AQ lead, but the Cougars responded again and moved ahead 20-19. Aquinas countered with three consecutive points, including a Schneider kill and a block from Martin and Michelle Ramirez, to reclaim control. Martin supplied another late kill, and Dennis delivered the closing ace as AQ won, 25-22, to move one set from victory.
One set from victory turned into an entirely different challenge during a fourth frame that featured 19 ties and seven lead changes. Pelak kept swinging, Schneider kept answering and West found opportunities to finish points herself, but neither team could shake the other. Facing Spring Arbor set points at 24-23, 25-24 and 26-25, Aquinas stayed alive through a Pelak kill, a Martin solo block and a Schneider kill. West then scored off a Morse assist to give the Saints a 27-26 lead and a chance to finish the match. Spring Arbor survived that opportunity and claimed the next three points, winning, 29-27, to send an already electric contest into a fifth set.
With the match tied and the afternoon's work still unfinished, Aquinas produced its most decisive stretch. Bakker broke a 3-3 tie with a kill, sending Dennis to the service line for a run that transformed the deciding set. The Saints scored eight consecutive points to lead 11-3, with Bakker and Pelak supplying kills, West adding two more, Dennis landing an ace and West teaming with Bakker for a block. Ramirez and Pelak helped push the advantage to 13-4 before Pelak delivered the final kill at 15-7, simultaneously securing the victory and tying the school record with her 30th kill. Aquinas finished the fifth with 10 kills, no attack errors and a .526 hitting percentage, an emphatic closing statement after four sets of national tournament-caliber tension.
No. 9 Aquinas 3, No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan 1 (23-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-16)
Match 2 — 7 p.m.
The Saints had just 45 minutes to recover, regroup and prepare for another nationally ranked challenge. Waiting across the net was seventh-ranked Indiana Wesleyan, a program Aquinas had never defeated in six previous meetings. The Wildcats had more than twice AQ's recovery time after a three-set loss to Cornerstone earlier in the day. For the Saints, the next assignment demanded another reserve of energy after five demanding sets against Spring Arbor. The crowd answered that need, with the Aquinas men's lacrosse team providing a much-needed early boost and helping keep Coach Bo Court lively as the second match began.
Indiana Wesleyan made the Saints work immediately, building a 14-10 lead in the opening set. Schneider and Tuck supplied consecutive kills before two Wildcat attack errors brought Aquinas even at 14-14. When Indiana Wesleyan moved ahead again, Bakker delivered three consecutive kills to pull the Saints into another tie at 19-19. AQ continued to chase, with Pelak supplying kills that cut late deficits to 23-21 and 24-23. The Wildcats finished the set, 25-23, leaving Aquinas to respond once more on a night already packed with tests.
The response was immediate and unmistakable. Pelak opened the second set with three consecutive kills, Martin added another and a Wildcat attack error completed a 5-0 Saints start. Morse helped extend the advantage to 10-5 during a service turn that included an ace, and Bakker's offense helped AQ build a 13-7 lead. West added two kills off Pelak assists, while an Eden service turn featured a Martin-Pelak block and another Pelak finish as the margin grew to 18-9. Aquinas closed with five straight points on Morse's serve, including another ace and a Schneider-Bakker block, winning, 25-12, while limiting Indiana Wesleyan to three kills and a negative hitting percentage.
The third set brought the tension right back, with 15 ties and seven lead changes keeping both benches and the crowd engaged. West supplied three kills in the early exchanges, Schneider contributed twice and Dennis and Morse each landed an ace as the Saints searched for separation. Indiana Wesleyan eventually moved ahead 19-17, putting Aquinas in position to either chase another set or take command of the match. The Saints chose the latter, scoring six consecutive points to turn that deficit into a 23-19 lead. Pelak delivered back-to-back kills during the run, Martin added a kill and Pelak capped the surge with an ace before AQ finished the set, 25-21.
With a historic victory one set away, Aquinas kept finding contributions across the lineup. Trailing 5-3 in the fourth, the Saints answered with a Bakker kill, a West-Bakker block and a Bakker solo block to move ahead 6-5. Bakker continued to finish West's sets, Martin supplied a kill and joined Pelak for another block, and Schneider delivered three kills in a stretch that helped AQ establish a 16-11 advantage. Munch's ace and Pelak's solo block helped widen the lead to 20-14, and the Saints kept pressing until Schneider finished a Morse assist for the match-ending kill. The 25-16 victory completed Aquinas' first win over Indiana Wesleyan, checked another longstanding item off Campbell's list and capped a fourth set in which the Saints hit .452 with just one attack error.
Classic Match Includes Record Performance
Thirty kills. One match. A place in Aquinas history.
Senior Cece Pelak gave an unforgettable afternoon its signature performance, matching the school's single-match kills record previously shared by Micaela Hazen and Kristin Danielson. Hazen recorded 30 kills at Concordia on Oct. 12, 2016, and Danielson matched that total against Northwestern Ohio on Oct. 5, 2018. On Friday, Pelak made room for one more Saint at the top.
And she picked quite a moment to get there.
Her 30th kill ended the fifth set against Spring Arbor, turning the final swing of an exhausting classic into both a winning point and a record-book entry. Pelak took 74 swings in the match, added 13 digs and finished with 32.5 points. When the Saints needed another answer, another finish or another reason to believe the next point belonged to them, their senior hitter kept stepping forward.
Then, 45 minutes later, she went back to work.
Pelak led Aquinas again with 15 kills against Indiana Wesleyan, hitting .333 while adding 11 digs, five assists and three blocks. Her doubleheader totals reached 45 kills and 24 digs, with a double-double in each match and a school record secured along the way.
The supporting performances made those milestones part of a much bigger team story. West directed the offense with 53 assists against Spring Arbor and 40 against Indiana Wesleyan, totaling 93 assists alongside 16 kills and 17 digs. She hit .600 without an attack error in the opener and continued to make the Wildcats account for her own offense in the nightcap.
Morse led the Saints defensively in both matches, collecting 21 digs against Spring Arbor and 17 against Indiana Wesleyan for 38 on the day. Munch added 11 digs in the opener, while Price contributed four against the Cougars and five against the Wildcats as AQ worked to keep its attack available.
At the net, Martin led Aquinas with five blocks against Spring Arbor, and Bakker led with four against Indiana Wesleyan. Bakker also delivered 21 kills across the two matches, including 12 on a .478 hitting percentage against the Wildcats. Martin totaled 19 kills, and Schneider contributed 17, giving the Saints multiple places to turn when the next point demanded a different solution.
Dennis supplied six aces across the doubleheader, including five against Spring Arbor and the service run that broke open the fifth set. Eden, Munch, Tuck, Ramirez and Audrey Gil also contributed to an afternoon and evening that drew on the Saints' depth.
Aquinas finished with 123 kills, 121 digs and 19 team blocks across nine sets. Those numbers tell part of the story. The rest belonged to the players covering for one another, the bench staying engaged and a crowd that helped an exhausting night feel like an opportunity.
Records and National Picture
Aquinas improved to 25-1 overall, remained 8-0 in the WHAC and extended its winning streak to 22 matches. The Saints now own 10 victories over NAIA-ranked opponents in 2026.
Spring Arbor finished its match with AQ at 14-5 overall and 6-3 in conference play, while Indiana Wesleyan ended the night at 14-7 overall and 7-2 in conference play.
Already holding program-best positions of No. 9 in the NAIA coaches' poll and No. 5 in the Massey ratings, Aquinas added another compelling week to its national résumé. Wednesday's road victory at Cornerstone and Friday's two ranked wins give the Saints a strong case to climb even higher when the next rankings arrive.
Saints Snapshots
- A Night That Raised the Standard: Two nationally ranked opponents, nine sets and two victories made Coach Bo Court the stage for another major step in the Saints' remarkable season.
- Thirty Kills, One Historic Final Swing: Pelak's record-tying 30th kill also won the Spring Arbor match, giving a classic the finish it deserved.
- Forty-Five Minutes to Find Another Gear: After five demanding sets, Aquinas regrouped and defeated a higher-ranked opponent with substantially more recovery time.
- The Wildcats Hurdle Falls: AQ's first victory over Indiana Wesleyan ended six previous defeats in the series and delivered another breakthrough for Campbell's program.
- The Building Had Their Backs: A lively crowd and an early lift from the men's lacrosse team helped supply energy when the Saints needed it most.
- Twenty-Two Straight and Still Building: With 10 ranked wins this season, Aquinas continues to strengthen its national résumé through different challenges and contributions throughout the lineup.
Coach's Comments
In a week that belongs in the conversation among the greatest in Aquinas women's volleyball history, Campbell had plenty to appreciate beyond the results. The Saints handled a rivalry road match, a five-set classic and a short turnaround against a higher-ranked opponent while continuing to find answers through their depth and complementary play.
"This was a tremendous week for our program, and what makes me most proud is how connected this team continues to be," Campbell said. "Spring Arbor challenged us in so many ways, and then we had very little time to recover before facing an excellent Indiana Wesleyan team. Our players kept finding ways to help each other, and we received important contributions throughout the lineup. Cece's 30 kills were special, especially with the record-tying kill also winning the match, and then she came right back and helped lead us again. That says a lot about her competitiveness, but she would also be the first to credit the teammates passing, setting, covering and defending around her.
"We are finding different ways to win because we are committed to playing complementary volleyball and putting the team first. We can enjoy what we accomplished this week, but there are still plenty of things we need to improve. The challenge now is to keep getting better in practice, keep growing together and bring that same commitment to every opponent. We have earned some exciting results, but we cannot let those results make us comfortable."
Up Next
After nine sets, two ranked victories and enough excitement to fill an entire weekend, the Saints have earned a chance to catch their breath.
Aquinas will have two days to rest and recover before returning to practice Monday and preparing for another doubleheader Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Coach Bo Court. The Saints will face Kuyper College in a non-conference match at 4 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. WHAC match-up with Madonna.
Bring the energy back with you. This team is giving Saints fans plenty of reasons to spend an evening with the Maroon and White.
We hope to see you there, but if you cannot join us in person, both contests will be streamed live on the AQSaints Athletic Network, with Joey Sutherlin on the call.
Be sure to visit AQSaints.com for live statistics, streaming links and complete postgame coverage of Aquinas women's volleyball and all other Saints sports.
It's a great day to be a Saint.
Â
