BABSON PARK, Fla. - St. Thomas (7-9, 5-0 TSC) gained an important conference win against host Webber International (13-4, 7-1 TSC) in straight sets by a final score of (30-28, 25-23, 25-19) on Friday night to take sole possession of first place in The Sun Conference. 

Earlier in the day, the Bobcats fell to no. 19 Bellevue (19-4) in straight sets (18-25, 16-25, 19-25) as part of the Royals Classic in Lake Wales, Fla.

The second match featured conference play against rivals Webber International which ended in favor of the Bobcats as the team swept TSC opponent in dominating fashion.
 
The match's first set ended with an STU win by a final of 30-28, amazing numbers, which showed how close and intense this match was. The Bobcats had a win in their sights after a dropped first match on the day, and the first set set the tone for the rest of the match.
 
Bobcat outside hitter Carly Durr exploded for a team and match-high 15 kills as she proved her influence on both the left and right flanks. The first set brought six of her 15 kills as she led the attack for STU.
 
The second set brought more of the same as STU and WIU played out what looked to be a mirror image of the first set. The set opened with a 5-2 run as they looked to run the table and take this second set quick but Webber put up a fight. On two separate occasions, WIU would jump out in front but that clearly made little to no effect on the Bobcats as Durr and Victoria Philpot would score the final two points for STU to hoist them to a 2-0 lead against Webber.
 
The third, and final, set showed the hunger of STU. After a season-ending duel against the Warriors in The Sun Conference 2016 Final, the Bobcats came hungry, and they ate. The final set closed out 25-19 as St. Thomas went for the win with a controlled sweep.
 
The Warriors could not answer the beautiful sets from Kimberly Martino, the power-driven attacks from Durr and Whitney Battoe and the smart play as a team from the Bobcats.
 
This win leaves St. Thomas as the only team in The Sun Conference without a loss as the team improves to 5-0 in TSC play.
 
The first match of the day brought 10 Courtney White kills, 26 assists from Martino and three block assists from Philpot.
 
The second match brought brilliant offensive efforts from Durr with 15 kills, Battoe with 11 kills and Martino 33 assists.
 
As a team, the offense towered over WIU. A total of nine attacking errors were committed by STU, compared to 24 Webber errors, which proved offensive excellence in this match.
 
Next up for the Bobcats is a home matchup against conference opponent Keiser on Tuesday, October 10 at 7 p.m. at the Fernandez Family Center.
 
Come out and support as St. Thomas looks to continue TSC control and remain undefeated on the season!