Fort Wayne, Ind. – The first week of the 2026-27 school year brought five days of classes and absolutely no easing into competition for the Aquinas women's volleyball team. By the end of Saturday, the Saints had already played six matches in four days, including two against nationally ranked opponents. After splitting Friday's two contests at the Onset Tournament, No. 17 Aquinas faced an immediate test with an 8:30 a.m. match against Huntington, which was receiving enough votes to sit just outside the NAIA Top 25 at No. 26. Head Coach Ryan Campbell believed the demanding early-season schedule would reveal where the Saints stood, identify areas needing attention and help prepare his team for the challenges awaiting later in the campaign. Aquinas provided an encouraging response Saturday, sweeping both Huntington and Loyola to complete its opening week with a 5-1 record.
Match One: No. 17 Aquinas 3, No. 26 Huntington 0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-23)
Less than 24 hours after suffering their first loss of the season, the Saints responded with the composure Campbell hoped to see against another nationally respected opponent. Aquinas overcame a competitive Huntington attack to take the opening set, 25-23, and immediately regain its footing at the tournament. Natalie West helped set the tone from multiple spots on the floor, finishing with 24 assists, four kills, four service aces and three digs. Jayla Martin was nearly unstoppable in the middle, putting down nine kills without an error on 17 attacks for a .529 hitting percentage. Cece Pelak matched Martin with nine kills and added 12 digs, two aces and an assist. The Saints created separation in the second set, holding Huntington to a .054 hitting percentage during a convincing 25-16 victory. Nevaeh Bakker contributed six kills and three block assists, while Kate Schneider supplied three kills and three block assists. Huntington attempted to extend the match behind Maggie Hollon, who led all players with 20 kills, but Aquinas remained steady during another tightly contested third set. The Saints hit a match-best .278 in the final frame and closed out the sweep with their second 25-23 victory of the morning. Kami Morse anchored the back row with a team-leading 14 digs while adding two assists and two service aces. Sophie Munch collected nine digs, three aces and two assists, giving Aquinas another strong all-around contribution from the service line and back row. Audrey Gil and Olivia Dennis each served two aces as nine of Aquinas' 15 aces came from West, Munch and Morse. Brooke Price added two digs and converted her only attack into a kill, while Kaylyn Tuck recorded two kills and two digs. Aquinas finished with 35 kills against only 10 attacking errors, hitting .229 while forcing Huntington into 20 errors. The Saints' pressure at the service line proved especially decisive, as their 15 aces helped neutralize Huntington's 40-35 advantage in kills and secured an impressive bounce-back sweep.
Match Two: No. 17 Aquinas 3, Loyola 0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-16)
Aquinas carried the momentum from its morning victory into the tournament finale and delivered its most efficient offensive performance of the weekend. The Saints hit .303 as a team and limited Loyola to a .045 percentage in a commanding three-set victory. Pelak led the attack with 16 kills against only three errors, producing a .419 hitting percentage while adding five digs and a block assist. West directed the offense with 34 assists and also contributed seven digs, two kills and a solo block. Aquinas established control with a 25-19 opening-set victory behind 15 kills and a .281 hitting percentage. The Saints became even more efficient in the second, committing only three attacking errors and hitting .379 on the way to another 25-19 decision. Schneider delivered eight kills on 13 swings for a .462 percentage and contributed a solo block and a block assist. Martin remained remarkably efficient, recording seven kills without an error and hitting .636 to complete a dominant offensive day. Bakker also produced an error-free attacking performance, finishing with seven kills on 18 attempts for a .389 percentage while adding a solo block and two block assists. Morse again controlled the back row with a match-high 16 digs and added three service aces and three assists. Munch recorded six digs and two aces, while Price contributed five digs to the Saints' defensive effort. Michelle Ramirez provided two kills, five digs and a block assist in two sets of action. Dennis added two digs, Gil collected one and Tuck recorded a kill and an assist as Campbell continued to use the depth of his roster. Aquinas held Loyola to a negative hitting percentage in the second set and forced the Wolf Pack into 25 attacking errors for the match. The Saints then completed the sweep with a decisive 25-16 third set, finishing the contest with 43 kills, 49 digs, five aces and six block assists. After opening the season with six matches in four days, No. 17 Aquinas returned home from Fort Wayne with a 5-1 record.
Saints Snapshots
- The Perfect Response: Aquinas answered its first loss of the season by sweeping both of Saturday's opponents and winning all six sets.
- Serving Up Trouble: The Saints totaled 20 service aces across the two matches, including 15 against No. 26 Huntington.
- Middle of Everything: Jayla Martin combined for 16 kills without committing an attacking error, hitting .571 over the two victories.
- Pelak Powers the Attack: Cece Pelak led Aquinas with 25 combined kills and added 17 digs, two aces and two block assists.
- Six Matches, Five Wins: AQ concluded a demanding stretch of six matches in four days at 5-1, with four of its victories coming in straight sets.
Coach's Comments
Following the final two matches of the Onset Tournament, Head Coach Ryan Campbell saw several reasons for encouragement along with areas the Saints must continue developing.
"I was happy with the way we showed our depth and handled the conditioning required to play six matches in four days this early in the season," Campbell said. "Our in-system offense was efficient, and our serving picked up throughout the day, which allowed us to put both teams under pressure. We still have work to do with our passing and defense, but this weekend gave us a valuable look at where we are and what we need to emphasize moving forward."
Up Next
Following six matches in four days, the Saints will have nearly a full week of practice before heading back to Indiana on Friday for the IU Kokomo Tournament. The weekend will conclude with a highly anticipated matchup between No. 17 Aquinas and No. 13 IU Kokomo in a battle certain to draw attention throughout the NAIA.
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.
