Grand Rapids, Mich. -- The first chapter of the Aquinas women's volleyball season is down to its final few pages, but the Saints are making sure nobody skips ahead. Following their first WHAC loss in three years and an injury to starting setter Natalie West, the Maroon and White have been working to rediscover the consistency that carried them into Friday with a 33-2 record and the No. 7 ranking in the NAIA. Add the emotions of Senior Night and a conference championship chase, and there was plenty to manage before the first serve. Lawrence Tech made certain there would be even more before the last.
No. 7 Aquinas 3, Lawrence Tech 2 (21-25, 25-15, 25-13, 23-25, 15-10)
Aquinas opened as if it intended to keep the volleyball portion of Senior Night short, using two Cece Pelak aces, a Jayla Martin solo block and an early burst of offense to establish a 7-1 advantage. Audrey Gil and Nevaeh Bakker added kills, while Martin teamed with Kyla Charles for a block before another Pelak finish pushed AQ ahead 16-12. The opening set slipped away late, however, as Lawrence Tech turned an 18-16 deficit into a 22-18 lead and ultimately handed the Saints a 25-21 setback.
AQ answered in the second, breaking a 3-3 tie with seven consecutive points as Kami Morse's service turn featured two Bakker kills and a Kaylyn Tuck finish. Gil added a kill, Pelak kept the offense moving and Martin supplied consecutive kills to stretch the cushion to 16-6. The Saints never allowed the Blue Devils back within reach, with Bakker delivering their 23rd point and Martin putting away the final two in a 25-15 response.
The third set required another reset after Aquinas fell behind 7-4, but Tuck's kill sent Gil to the service line and changed the direction of the evening. Gil served six straight points, contributing two aces and a kill while Charles and Pelak helped turn that deficit into an 11-7 lead. Kate Schneider then helped AQ pull away, and with Tess Griffith entering late, Tuck supplied two of the Saints' final four points before consecutive Lawrence Tech attack errors completed a 25-13 victory.
Aquinas appeared to have found its footing, only to spend much of the fourth set trying to recover it after the Blue Devils built a 16-9 lead. Jeralyn Hoppes had supplied consecutive aces earlier in the set, and AQ mounted another push behind a Schneider-Bakker block, a Morse ace and a Pelak kill to close within 17-15. Facing four set points at 24-20, the Saints fought off three through Martin, Pelak and Martin again, but Lawrence Tech secured the next rally for a 25-23 decision.
Now the Senior Night celebration had a fifth-set finish nobody could take for granted, with AQ's control of the conference race hanging on the next 15 points. Sophie Munch set Pelak for the opening kill, Martin and Schneider followed with finishes, and a Charles-Bakker block eventually gave the Saints a 6-3 advantage. Three straight Blue Devil points erased it, leaving the teams even at 6-6 and AQ needing to stop a run before a short set got away.
A Lawrence Tech service error provided the opening, and with Alexa Eden serving, Pelak delivered a kill before Eden's ace created a 9-6 cushion. Two Blue Devil kills trimmed it to 9-8—nine points earned, six still needed, and nothing about the evening suggesting they would come easily. AQ's answer came above the tape, where Charles joined Martin for a block before Martin and Pelak turned away the next attack to give the Saints an 11-8 lead.
A service error and kills from Schneider and Pelak brought AQ to match point at 14-9, but a Saints service error left everyone waiting through one more rally. Martin made certain it was the last, putting away Charles' set to finish the 15-10 victory and allow the Maroon and White to finally exhale.
Pelak finished with 20 kills, five aces and 13 digs, while Martin delivered 14 kills on a .591 hitting percentage with seven total blocks, and Schneider added 10 kills while hitting .500. Charles distributed 55 assists and contributed eight digs and four block assists, while Morse anchored the backcourt with 25 digs, Price added 11, Sarah Curtis supplied four and Eden collected three. Jeanette Desser and Michelle Ramirez also saw action as 16 Saints took the court, with Aquinas finishing with 13 aces and saving its cleanest attacking set for last: eight kills, one error and a .636 hitting percentage in the fifth.
Aquinas improved to 34-2 overall and 14-1 in the WHAC, while Lawrence Tech fell to 12-15 overall and 4-10 in conference play. The Saints remain atop the conference, ahead of Indiana Tech at 13-2 and Cornerstone at 12-2 with a match in hand. AQ controls its own fate: a victory over Cornerstone in the regular-season finale guarantees the Saints the outright WHAC regular-season championship. A loss would open the door to a tie atop the standings, with the remaining results determining just how crowded that championship picture becomes.
Saints Snapshots
- A different setter, the same range of options. West's absence has required an adjustment at a position that touches nearly every offensive possession. Charles kept the full front row involved Friday, with four Saints recording at least eight kills, giving AQ multiple places to turn when Lawrence Tech began to apply pressure.
- Martin puts a finish on it. Martin supplied the final two kills of the second set, helped produce consecutive blocks with the fifth-set lead down to one and delivered the match-winning swing. Her efficiency mattered throughout the evening; her ability to finish possessions mattered most when the Saints had little room to spare.
- The service line changes the conversation. Gil stepped behind the line with AQ trailing in the third and left with the Saints in front. Eden's fifth-set turn helped break a 6-6 tie, while Hoppes, Morse, Charles and Pelak also supplied aces—a reminder that AQ can create momentum before its attack gets a swing.
- A glimpse of the standard. The Saints hit .412 in the third set and .636 in the fifth, showing the level of offense they can produce even while adjusting their lineup. The next challenge is carrying that execution across an entire match, particularly after Friday's first-set lead disappeared and a fourth-set deficit forced another comeback attempt.
- A rivalry with something to settle. Friday preserved the opportunity AQ has spent the conference season building: a chance to claim the outright championship on its own court. Cornerstone arrives with title ambitions of its own, giving the regular-season finale consequences that will last beyond the usual crosstown bragging rights.
Coach's Comments
The five-set affair was no place for the faint of heart. After celebrating their seniors, head coach Ryan Campbell's Saints had to regroup more than once to protect a victory they could ill afford to lose. With a conference championship within reach and hopes of an extended NAIA postseason run, the next step is turning those stretches of strong volleyball into a standard they can sustain.
"Senior Night means a lot because of the people we're celebrating, and I'm glad we could finish the night with a win for them," Campbell said. "We responded well in the second and third sets, but we have to do a better job of sustaining that level instead of having to find it again. I liked how we settled in during the fifth, served with purpose and made some big plays at the net. We know what this team is capable of, and with Cornerstone coming in and the postseason right behind it, the time to put that together consistently is now."
Up Next
The regular season comes down to a rivalry match with a championship attached. Aquinas hosts crosstown archrival Cornerstone on Friday, November 6, at 7 p.m. inside the Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center, with a Saints victory securing the outright WHAC regular-season title before attention turns to the conference tournament.
Friday's match will be streamed, 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.
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