Grand Rapids, Mich. -- This one hurts because there was still more this group wanted to accomplish together. A fourth-set lead offered the Aquinas College women's volleyball team a chance to keep its WHAC Tournament championship hopes alive Friday night, but the Saints could not turn that opportunity into a deciding fifth set. For a team with 35 wins and a share of its third straight conference regular-season championship, the disappointment is real—and so is the hope that another chapter remains.
Indiana Tech 3, No. 11 Aquinas 1 (18-25, 13-25, 25-16, 23-25)
Indiana Tech immediately tested the Saints in the WHAC Tournament semifinals at Cornerstone's Moll Arena, putting away 17 kills against just one attack error in the opening set. Aquinas answered with 12 kills of its own, but slowing the Warriors proved more difficult than finding offense. AQ hit .235 in the frame, a solid start that still left little room for missed opportunities against an opponent swinging at .500. The Saints needed a way to disrupt that rhythm before Indiana Tech could take control of the evening. Instead, the Warriors secured the opener 25-18 and kept the pressure on.
The second set pushed Aquinas further into catch-up mode as Indiana Tech again committed just one attack error. The Saints struggled to sustain their own attack, recording nine kills against seven errors. With the Warriors hitting .476 in the frame, AQ could not find the combination of stops and finishes needed to reverse the momentum. A 25-13 loss left the Saints facing a two-set deficit with their tournament hopes on the line. Their response would have to come one set at a time, beginning with finding the consistency that had carried them to 35 victories.
Aquinas found it in the third, delivering its strongest offensive set of the match when there was no room left to wait. The Saints hammered 16 kills against four errors and hit .353, turning their most productive stretch into a convincing answer. Just as significantly, AQ forced six Indiana Tech attack errors and held the Warriors to a .108 hitting percentage. The turnaround brought both sides of the Saints' game together after two sets spent trying to keep pace. A 25-16 victory gave Aquinas renewed life and a chance to put the pressure back on Indiana Tech.
The Saints fell behind 6-2 in the fourth before kills from
Jeralyn Hoppes and
Nevaeh Bakker helped begin the climb back.
Natalie West's service turn featured kills from
Jayla Martin and
Cece Pelak as AQ pulled even at 12-12, and
Michelle Ramirez supplied three kills during a stretch that helped put Aquinas ahead 16-14. A Hoppes-Bakker block and two Indiana Tech attack errors extended the advantage to 19-15, before another Bakker kill and a Pelak finish helped the Saints reach 22-18 with a fifth set within reach. AQ had its opportunities to finish, but a service error, an Indiana Tech kill and two Saints attack errors erased that cushion before a West kill briefly restored the lead at 23-22. The Warriors answered with the final three points, closing the set 25-23 and leaving Aquinas two points short of extending its championship pursuit.
Aquinas moves to
35-4 overall, while Indiana Tech improves to
27-7. Both teams finished WHAC regular-season play at 14-2 as part of the three-way championship tie with Cornerstone. Indiana Tech advances to face the host Golden Eagles on Saturday afternoon for the WHAC Tournament championship after Cornerstone survived a five-set semifinal against Defiance.
Saints Snapshots
- Bakker brought the finishing touch. Nevaeh Bakker delivered a team-high 15 kills with just one attack error on 24 attempts, hitting .583 and adding four blocks. Her 17.5 points led the Saints.
- West kept the offense moving. Natalie West distributed 42 assists and contributed five kills, six digs and a service ace, helping AQ produce 51 kills to match Indiana Tech's total.
- Morse extended the fight. Kami Morse collected a match-high 24 digs and added three assists, anchoring a defensive effort that helped hold the Warriors below .110 hitting in each of the final two sets.
- Contributions came from across the lineup. Cece Pelak finished with 12 kills and four blocks, while Jayla Martin added seven kills and four blocks. Michelle Ramirez supplied four kills without an error and two blocks, and Jeralyn Hoppes contributed four kills and an ace.
- The margins mattered. AQ's third-set response and fourth-set lead created a path back into the match, but 14 service errors proved costly. Sarah Curtis added seven digs, Alexa Eden had five, and Kaylyn Tuck, Kate Schneider and Audrey Gil also contributed kills.
Coach's Comments
Head Coach
Ryan Campbell pointed to Indiana Tech's strong start and the Saints' missed opportunities down the stretch while recognizing the response that kept Aquinas in the match.
"Indiana Tech came out strong and put us in a position where we were playing catch-up," Campbell said. "I thought our response in the third set showed the fight this group has, and we gave ourselves opportunities in the fourth to take it to five. We had a lead late, but we didn't execute consistently enough to finish it. It's disappointing because we wanted the opportunity to play for a championship tomorrow, and this group has worked hard to put itself in that position. We can be honest about where we fell short and still recognize everything these players have accomplished together. Our hope is that we get another opportunity to compete, and if that opportunity comes, we need to be ready."
Up Next
Now comes the waiting—and the hope that Friday was not the final chapter for these Saints. Aquinas will await the NAIA selection announcement to learn whether its 35-win season earns an at-large berth in the national tournament and, if selected, where its postseason journey will continue. A spot is not guaranteed, and updates will be shared on AQSaints.com and Aquinas Athletics' social media channels once the field is announced.
Visit AQSaints.com for live statistics, streaming links and complete coverage of Aquinas women's volleyball and the rest of the Saints' weekend.
It's a great day to be a Saint.
