MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (September 15, 2021) – The St. Thomas University (STU) Women's Volleyball team (6-4) is set to begin conference play this evening from the Fernandez Family Center Gym at 7 p.m. against Ave Maria University (8-4) in The Sun Conference Match of the Week.
 
Head Coach Whitney Battoe is headed into her second season at the helm for the Bobcats. Last season St. Thomas went 7-6 in conference play and finished as the fourth seed. The team defeated Webber International University in the Sun Conference Quarterfinal and ultimately fell to the tournament champions, Keiser University. The Bobcats were chosen to finish fourth in the Preseason Coaches' Poll this season.
 
This season, St. Thomas has already racked up quite a resume. The Bobcats upset receiving votes Olivet Nazarene University at the STU Invitational and recently upset then ranked no. 24 Indiana University-Kokomo at the AC/CU Invitational both in five sets. St. Thomas also took a set from then no. 3, now no.1 Midland University at the STU Invitational.
 
When asking Coach Battoe of the front-loaded schedule here is what she had to say: "I think we've come out a stronger team from the experience we gained through the non-conference matches. The plan was not necessarily to win but to get better and learn what we need to improve on. We grew on and off the court through the matches and I feel our team is more cohesive from where we started."
 
Ave Maria comes into the contest also making an early statement in non-conference play. The Gyrenes beat receiving votes Aquinas College in five sets and swept receiving votes Columbia International University. AMU was also receiving votes in the week one NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll.
 
Coach Battoe added comments on being The Sun Conference Match of the Week. "I think this is the perfect way for us to open up conference play. I feel confident with the team we have now and potential that we have," Battoe added. "I am excited to see how we match up against one of the top teams in the conference."
 
Tyran Chenault and Bianca Grassi are the players to watch for this match. Chenault was named the SUN Attacker of the Week to open the season. Chenault leads the team in kills with 101, as well as hitting percentage swinging .289. The graduate student from Lexington, Kentucky made a statement this weekend at the AC/CU Invitational matching her career-high in kills against IU-Kokomo and breaking her career-high in kills (16) against IU at South Bend.
 
Grassi has been the anchor to the Bobcat defense being honored three times as the SUN Defender of the Week. Every week the Bobcats have played and qualified for the honor, Grassi has collected. The freshmen libero is currently ranked tenth in the nation and first in the conference for digs per set (5.72).
 
This year the conference is set to be very competitive as five of the eight teams currently have a record above .500 and have proven that they can compete against top-level competition. Coach Battoe believes the keys to a successful season is to simply play St. Thomas Volleyball. "If we can play our cleanest volleyball and work hard to better our ball control, we have the tools to play well and succeed. It is about coming into the match focused and ready to compete and play good volleyball," said Battoe.
 
Find the full schedule for the Bobcats here and come out and support this season in what looks to be a great year for St. Thomas Volleyball.