MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (November 12, 2019) – St. Thomas University Volleyball (13-14) saw their 2019 season conclude at the hands of Florida Memorial University (20-10) in the Sun Conference Quarterfinals. STU lost in five-sets (23-25, 25-19, 25-17, 17-25, 10-15) to FMU on Tuesday night from the "Lion's Den".
Bobcat Starters:
Tyran Chenault,
Carli Batsel,
Arianna Bolinger,
Amanda Allende,
Kyleigh Beecham, Taytumn Schlegel – Ridgway and
Anja Vavan.
Game Notes
- The first set in the Sun Conference Quarterfinal match was back-and-forth, featuring eleven ties and three lead changes.
- Allende recorded a kill, which was followed by consecutive FMU errors, gave St. Thomas a 14-11 lead.
- Consecutive kills from Bolinger and Chenault allowed the Bobcats to take their largest lead of the set at 17-13.
- Following a Lions timeout, Florida Memorial recorded nine consecutive points, moving within one-point of the first set win, 24-18.
- Batsel attempted to lead a late-comeback by St. Thomas, claiming two kills in a five-point rally by STU, getting within one point at 23-24.
- An unfortunate Bobcat error gave FMU the first set win, 23-25.
- In the second set, Bolinger extended the STU lead to 5-2.
- The Lions rallied for four-straight points, but a Chenault kill ended the rally and tied the set at 6-6.
- Allende added a service ace, giving the Bobcats a 17-12 lead, midway through the second set.
- Three Lion errors, followed by an Allende kill, allowed STU to take the second set, 25-19 and tying the match.
- St. Thomas exploded in the third set, rallying for an 11-2 lead, capitalizing off seven Lion errors and two Schlegel – Ridgway kills.
- Bolinger recorded four consecutive kills, before Allende sealed the third set victory with a kill of her own, as the Bobcats took a 2-1 set lead.
- STU claimed an early lead in the fourth set, but could not maintain it, allowing Florida Memorial to send the match into a decisive fifth-set in the Sun Conference tournament.
- FMU opened the fifth set with a 6-2 advantage, as STU called a timeout.
- After the break, Chenault sparked the comeback with another block, as STU rallied for three straight points.
- Unfortunately, a Bobcat error ended the season, as STU dropped the fifth set, 10-15.
Season Recap
St. Thomas entered the Sun Conference Tournament, riding a season-best, six-game winning streak. The STU season ended in the Sun Conference Quarterfinals for the second consecutive season.
Despite the disappointing ending to the season, the Bobcats future is extremely bright. Junior,
Tyran Chenault, finished the season leading the Sun Conference in blocks (116), second in hitting percentage (0.369) and 13
th in kills (241) and looks to take home hardware from the Sun Conference. The freshman duo of
Amanda Allende and
Kyleigh Beecham, give St. Thomas an exciting core. Allende led STU in kills (282), while Beecham led the club in assists (659).
Arianna Bolinger will continue to be looked at as a leader, as the sophomore currently has 520-kills and 376-digs in her two seasons at STU. Bolinger finished second on the team with 271-kills as a sophomore.
St. Thomas says good-bye to four seniors in the 2019 season;
Carli Batsel,
Dayma Pla,
Lucia Alvarez and Irinia Rakitina concluded their collegiate careers with the loss. In her four seasons at STU, Batsel recorded 303-kills and was part of the 2017 Sun Conference Regular Season Champions. Pla played two seasons as a defensive specialist for STU, recording 142-digs. Alvarez totaled 420-assists in two seasons, while Rakitina played one season.
Bobcat Leaders
The 2019 season for the Bobcats concluded with the loss, St. Thomas University Athletics thanks the seniors for their service to the Volleyball program.
-STU-
