Fort Wayne, Ind. – The opening month of 2026 has been fun for the Aquinas women's volleyball team, but nobody promised the road ahead would be easy. Already carrying the highest national ranking in program history, the No. 9 Saints entered Friday night facing another undefeated WHAC contender, a hostile road environment and the first match of a three-match weekend. Aquinas answered every part of that challenge, walking out of the Schaefer Center with a milestone victory and another compelling reason to believe the Saints are still climbing.
No. 9 Aquinas 3, Indiana Tech 1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21)
Aquinas created its first separation of the night with a 7-1 run that turned a 6-6 tie into a 13-7 advantage in the opening set. Cece Pelak supplied a kill and a service ace during the surge, while Kate Schneider and Natalie West combined at the net to complete the run. The Warriors cut an eight-point AQ advantage to 23-20 late, but Nevaeh Bakker stopped the charge with a kill. Schneider then closed the 25-20 victory with a block to give the Saints the opening set.
Indiana Tech responded by scoring the first three points of the second and eventually built a 9-5 lead. The Saints battled back to 15-15 behind kills from Jayla Martin, Bakker, Pelak and Schneider, along with a pair of Schneider blocks. The Warriors rebuilt their margin at 22-18 and reached set point at 24-20, but Aquinas refused to let the set go quietly, receiving two kills from Bakker and another from Martin to pull within 24-23. Lauren Paska finally ended the AQ rally with a kill, allowing Indiana Tech to even the match with a 25-23 victory.
Aquinas came out of the break determined to reclaim control, scoring eight of the first 11 points and forcing an early Indiana Tech timeout. Schneider recorded two kills during the opening push, while Pelak and Martin also found the floor for the Maroon and White. Back-to-back Pelak aces later stretched the advantage to 18-11 before the Warriors made one more charge and trimmed the margin to 20-18. Pelak delivered two late kills before West served an ace on set point to secure the 25-21 victory and a 2-1 match lead.
Neither side created much breathing room early in the fourth until Aquinas broke an 11-11 tie with four consecutive points. Schneider and Pelak recorded kills during the run before West capped the surge with a kill of her own to give AQ a 15-11 advantage. Indiana Tech fought back to tie the set at 18, but the Saints immediately answered with four straight points highlighted by an Olivia Dennis ace and a Bakker-Kaylyn Tuck block. Sophie Munch later served an ace to create match point before Bakker hammered home her match-high 13th kill to finish the 25-21 victory.
Bakker powered the AQ attack with 13 kills and a .423 hitting percentage, while Pelak added 10 kills, 14 digs and three aces. West filled the scorecard with 36 assists, six kills on seven attacks, seven digs, four aces and three blocks, while Kami Morse collected 15 digs, four assists and three aces. Martin and Schneider each supplied seven kills and four blocks as Aquinas used 16 aces and 10 blocks to overcome Indiana Tech's 52-44 advantage in kills.
With the victory, No. 9 Aquinas improved to 20-1 overall and remained unbeaten in the WHAC at 6-0. Indiana Tech moved to 16-6 overall and 5-1 in conference play. The result left Aquinas and Cornerstone as the conference's only unbeaten teams, setting the stage for Wednesday night's rivalry match just up the street at Cornerstone.
Saints Snapshots
- FIFTY STRAIGHT IN THE WHAC: Aquinas reached a landmark 50 consecutive conference victories by handing Indiana Tech its first WHAC loss of the season.
- ROAD WIN RESHAPES THE RACE: The Saints left AQ and archrival Cornerstone as the conference's only unbeaten teams ahead of Wednesday's showdown.
- PRESSURE CHANGED THE MATCH: AQ fired 16 service aces and forced Indiana Tech into trouble throughout the night, offsetting the Warriors' eight-kill advantage.
- WEST FILLED THE SCORECARD: Natalie West produced 36 assists, six kills, four aces, seven digs and three blocks in one of the Saints' most complete individual performances of the season.
- BAKKER CLOSED THE DOOR: Nevaeh Bakker hit .423 with a match-high 13 kills, including a late kill in the opening set and the match-clinching point in the fourth.
- TOP-10 RESPONSE: After dropping the second set, Aquinas owned the biggest moments of consecutive 25-21 victories to finish the road test.
Coach's Comments
Friday's intense conference match was only the beginning of a demanding weekend for Aquinas. The Saints will get a short night of sleep in Fort Wayne before returning to the court for two more challenging road matches Saturday afternoon.
"This was exactly the kind of match we expected, and I was proud of the way our team responded every time Indiana Tech challenged us," Aquinas head coach Ryan Campbell said. "Winning on the road against an unbeaten conference opponent requires toughness, composure and trust in one another, and we showed all three tonight. Reaching 50 straight WHAC wins is something this entire program can be proud of, but there is not much recovery time before two more good teams are waiting for us Saturday. We will enjoy this one for a few hours, get some sleep and be ready to go again."
Up Next
After an AQ catnap, the Saints return to action Saturday with matches against UNOH at noon and No. 21 Cumberlands at 2 p.m.
Aquinas will then return to West Michigan for a major early-season WHAC showdown Wednesday night against archrival Cornerstone on the road. The Saints and Golden Eagles currently share first place as the conference's only remaining unbeaten teams.
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.
