Barbourville, Ky.- St. Thomas (10-0), won two matches to remain perfect on the season Friday at the NAIA Southeastern Challenge. St. Thomas swept Faulkner (0-6) 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-19), then defeated Union (5-4) 3-1 (25-21, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22). 

The Bobcats won in quick fashion verses the Faulkner Eagles, taking the match in three sets. Having gone on the road after growing their streak to 8-0, expectations were on the rise for the Bobcats. From the get go, STU was looking for a spark, so in came Priscila Ertty who came up big with a game high 25 assists. Ertty led the Bobcats on a 8-4 run combining with Marisa Markus, Carly Durr and Shanotta Bawek on multiple occasions.

The match had it's tight moments but St. Thomas set the tone quickly and came out with the win.

Along with Ertty, other notable stats came from Bawek with a team high 13 kills along with her partner in crime Durr who came up with 11 kills. Whitney Battoe recorded 10 digs, the most of any player in the match. Carli Batsel soared high and registered three blocks.

With momentum on their side, the Bobcats now jumped in to their second game of the day against Union College. After an intense performance, as their record projects, expectations remained high. The spotlight was on and the Bobcats performed well. It was clear that Dana Nowaczyk was looking to will her team to a win, coming up big for her teammates assisting 31 times. With STU taking the first set, they didn't want to stop there. From the beginning of the second set, Nowaczyk set up kills for Bawek and Kadeeja Griffin. 

The Union Bulldogs kept on fighting, pushing this match to a fourth set. The Bobcats were eager to finish off the Bulldogs, starting off the fourth on a 6-0 run. Union fought to stay alive, trailing STU 23-20. When the Bobcats smell victory around the corner, they pounce and attack. Nowaczyk set up a beautiful ball for Battoe to smash one down to bring the Bobcats within one point. After a kill from the Bulldogs, Nowaczyk and Battoe linked up one last time to end the match and add another win to the streak. 

A friendly competition continued between Bawek, Battoe and Markus, who earned 14 kills, 13 kills and 11 kills, respectively. Nowaczyk was outstanding with 31 assists to go along with Haley Bannister's 11 digs. 

Be sure to tune in Saturday as the St. Thomas Bobcats continue on their quest to keep their unbeaten streak. The first match is set to tip off at 10 a.m. vs. 7th ranked Georgetown College and the final match is at 1 p.m. vs. Bryan College.

Live Stats are available at http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Tournament/TournamentPage.aspx?association=10&sg=WVB&tour=1893

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