MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (November 13, 2020) - Fourth-seeded St. Thomas University (STU) Volleyball (10-6, 7-6 TSC) outlasted fifth-seed Webber International (4-11, 2-9 TSC) in a five-set thriller (21-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-27, 15-5) in the quarterfinal round of the Sun Conference tournament on Friday evening from the Fernandez Family Center.
The win was the first Sun Conference tournament win since the 2017 semi-final round against the College of Coastal Georgia.Â
Bobcat Starters
Game Notes
- The playoff match-up between the Bobcats and the Warriors started as a back-and-forth affair, setting the tone for the evening, as each team traded the lead in the early going before being tied at 6-6.Â
- WIU rallied for three consecutive points, taking a 9-6 lead over STU.
- Bolinger ended the Warrior-run with a kill.
- Webber International recorded a 7-0 run, taking a 19-11 lead over St. Thomas.
- Trailing 22-14, STU called their second timeout of the first set. The Bobcats rallied for six consecutive points, cutting the deficit to 22-20.
- WIU clinched the first set with a 25-21 victory.
- The Warriors began the second set with a 7-2 lead, following three consecutive Bobcat errors.
- Allende and Chenault notched back-to-back kills, followed by a WIU error to bring the Bobcats within one, 11-10.
- Bolinger tallied one-of-15 kills, putting St. Thomas in front, 14-13.
- Nunez-Casal led a 9-0 run for STU, recording four kills, tying the match at 1-1, with a 25-15 second set win.Â
- St. Thomas took the team's first lead of the third set following consecutive WIU errors, 11-10.
- Webber International reclaimed the lead at 17-16 after a Bobcats error.
- A 5-0 rally for STU put the Bobcats in front 21-17 and forced Webber International to use a timeout.
- Bolinger put St. Thomas in front of the match, 2-1, with another kill, as the Bobcats won the third set, 25-19.
- Early on in the fourth set, STU took a 12-9 advantage, courtesy of a 5-1 run.
- Chenault later put St. Thomas ahead 18-15 with a kill.
- In desperation-mode, Webber rallied to score four consecutive points and took a 23-22 lead over STU late in the fourth set.
- The fourth set winner needed extra points, and WIU forced a fifth set with a 27-25 set win, capped off by a service ace.Â
- The fifth set was do-or-die for the Sun Conference rivals, and STU rushed to an early 3-1 lead, highlighted by a Nunez-Casal kill.Â
- Bolinger kickstarted an incredible, 8-0 run in the fifth set, which featured two service aces from Nunez-Casal, putting STU on the cusp of the semi-finals leading 11-2.
- Facing elimination, Webber recorded back-to-back-kills to put the score at 14-5.
- Bolinger showed heroics once again, sealing the Bobcats first playoff win since the 2017 season with her 15th kill of the match as STU won, 15-5.
MVBobcats
Upcoming
St. Thomas travels to West Palm Beach, Fla., to take on the undefeated regular-season champion, Keiser University, on Monday, November 16. Match time is TBA.
-STU-