Grand Rapids, Mich. Coach Bo Court turned back the clock Wednesday night, but the Aquinas women's volleyball team continued doing what it has done to WHAC opponents for nearly three years—win. Surrounded by a near-capacity crowd of local girls' high school and middle school teams, summer campers, alumni and former players celebrating the program's annual 90's Night, the Saints opened conference play with their 45th consecutive regular-season or postseason WHAC victory. Aquinas, which has not lost to a conference opponent since November 2023 (Indiana Tech in the WHAC Tournament Finals), also entered the evening with a new number beside its name after climbing five positions into a tie for No. 12 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll.
No. 12 Aquinas 3, UM-Dearborn 0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-9)
Natalie West stepped behind the service line to begin the match and did not leave until the Saints had scored the first 10 points of the night. West delivered three consecutive aces during the run, while Kate Schneider recorded two kills and teamed with Jayla Martin for a block. Cece Pelak and Martin also put away kills as the early avalanche forced UM-Dearborn to use a timeout with Aquinas leading 5-0. The Wolverines eventually pulled within four at 11-7, but kills from Schneider, Nevaeh Bakker and Pelak helped Aquinas regain control before Pelak and Bakker finished the 25-17 victory with consecutive kills.
UM-Dearborn turned the tables by scoring the first seven points of the second set, forcing Aquinas to respond to its first adversity of the evening. The Saints did exactly that, scoring three consecutive points behind West's serving and a Pelak kill before steadily working their way back into contention. Bakker and Pelak continued to provide the attack as Aquinas erased the entire deficit and pulled even at 15-15. Kami Morse then delivered back-to-back aces to complete a pivotal three-point run and give the Saints their first lead of the set. Bakker and Kaylyn Tuck helped Aquinas maintain the advantage before Pelak took over down the stretch, recording four kills among the Saints' final five points in the 25-21 comeback victory.
Any momentum UM-Dearborn hoped to carry into the third set quickly disappeared. With Aquinas leading 2-1, Pelak served 11 consecutive points during a 12-0 run that blew the set open. The surge included two Pelak aces, kills from Martin and Morse, three blocks involving Martin and Schneider, and consecutive kills from Michelle Ramirez. Schneider later teamed with Bakker for another block before Olivia Dennis added an ace to push the advantage to 17-4. Audrey Gil closed the door from the service line, recording two aces during a five-point run that moved Aquinas within one point of completing the sweep.
Pelak led the Saints with 14 kills, three aces and nine digs while attacking at a .310 clip. Bakker was nearly flawless offensively, putting away eight kills on 11 attempts without an error for a .727 hitting percentage, while Schneider finished with five errorless kills and seven total blocks. West directed the offense with 25 assists, eight digs and three aces, while Morse contributed seven digs, six assists and two aces. Martin totaled a match-high eight blocks, including one solo rejection, as Aquinas limited the Wolverines to a .024 hitting percentage.
Aquinas improved to 10-1 overall and 1-0 in the WHAC while extending its winning streak against conference opponents to 45 consecutive regular-season and postseason matches. UM-Dearborn fell to 0-9 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
90's Night Festivities
In addition to serving as the Saints' WHAC opener, Wednesday's match marked the annual 90's Night celebration, when Head Coach Ryan Campbell welcomes local girls' middle school and high school volleyball teams to Coach Bo Court. Aquinas summer campers joined Saints alumni and former players in helping create a near-capacity crowd for the conference opener.
The Aquinas dance team performed between the second and third sets and kept the crowd entertained throughout the match by tossing prizes into the stands during timeouts.
One of the night's most anticipated moments came before the match, when Assistant Athletic Director and Director of Athletic Communications Joey Sutherlin received the honor of delivering the ceremonial first serve. An entertaining social media campaign spent the days leading up to the match debating and polling whether Sutherlin would successfully put the serve in play.
Thankfully for Joey's ego—and because the student-athletes and his colleagues would never have allowed him to forget otherwise—Sutherlin perfectly placed the serve down the right sideline for an ace. Professor Cantley and Coach Campbell suggested he might have been guilty of a foot fault, but with the replay system not yet operational, the ace stands.
Saints Snapshots
- West Sets the Tone: Natalie West served Aquinas to the first 10 points of the match, including three consecutive aces, before UM-Dearborn could get on the scoreboard.
- Pelak Closes the Door: Cece Pelak led the Saints with 14 kills and three aces before serving an 11-point run that broke open the third set.
- No Panic in the Saints: After falling behind 7-0 in the second set, Aquinas stayed composed, pulled even at 15-15 and completed the comeback without allowing the match to reach a fourth set.
- Martin and Schneider Protect the Net: Jayla Martin and Kate Schneider combined for 15 total blocks as Aquinas held UM-Dearborn to a .024 hitting percentage.
- A Community Celebration: Local volleyball teams, summer campers, alumni, former players and AQ students filled Coach Bo Court with the kind of atmosphere that has made 90's Night one of the program's signature events.
Coach's Comments
Following the victory, Campbell praised his team's continued growth while emphasizing that the Saints have not yet reached their ceiling.
"I am happy with the way we continue to grow every time we step on the court, but this group also understands that there is still plenty of work ahead of us," Campbell said. "We showed a lot of maturity after falling behind in the second set, and I thought our serving and defense helped us regain control. The support tonight was incredible. Having our alumni, summer campers, local teams and so many members of the Aquinas community here made 90's Night special, and our players could feel that energy throughout the match."
Up Next
Aquinas and Cornerstone will co-host a tournament Friday and Saturday, with three matches scheduled on Coach Bo Court each day. The Saints will play twice on both days, and every Aquinas match will be streamed live on the AQSaints Network with Joey Sutherlin on the call.
The weekend concludes with a marquee matchup against No. 9 Mount Vernon Nazarene at 3 p.m. Saturday.
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.
