MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (November 11, 2023) - The #22 St. Thomas University (STU) Women's Volleyball team defeated Southeastern University on Saturday evening to become Sun Conference Champions. The Bobcats defeated the Fire three sets to one, officially becoming back-to-back Sun Conference Champions.  

After sweeping Webber International University in the Semifinals of the Sun Conference Tournament, the Bobcats entered the Championship match against Southeastern University. In the first set, the Bobcats defeated the Fire 25-21, establishing their dominance on the court. Payton Bertke recorded 17 assists in the first set, contributing to her total of 46 assists in the game. Bertke was named MVP of the All-Tournament Team. Freshman of the Year Alexandra Bruno led the Bobcats with 12 kills in the match, notching six in the first set. 

The second set ended the same, the Bobcats defeating the Fire 25-21. STU's Amanda Allende had notched a career-high five service aces during the match up, recording three in a row during set two.  

The Fire took set three, but the Bobcats did not let the lost set phase them. St. Thomas started off the fourth set with three points in a row, Hope Leavy-Gaskins leading the charge with the first two kills of the set for the Bobcats. The game point was determined by Alexandra MacAskill who notched her 11th kill of the game, making the final score of set four 25-20.  

The Bobcats ultimately defeated the Southeastern Fire 3-1, making them back-to-back Sun Conference Champions. 

-STU-