Miami Gardens, Fla. - The pairings for Pool Play at the 2024 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Volleyball Championship were revealed on Sunday, with St. Thomas earning the top spot in Pool G. The Bobcats begin play at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa against McPherson College on Wednesday, Dec. 4 before taking on Oklahoma Wesleyan on Friday, Dec. 6. First serve for both contests is set for 8:30 p.m.
St. Thomas (31-0) advances to the final site for the second-consecutive season after sweeping Florida College in the opening round. The Bobcats boast one of the top offenses in the country, averaging 14.26 kills which ranks fourth on a .264 hitting percentage that sits eighth on top of 15.32 digs, 1.93 blocks and 1.72 service aces.
2024 Sun Conference Setter of the Year Payton Bertke runs STU's high-octane offense with 11.12 assists, fourth-highest average in the NAIA, with All-Conference Second Team selection Carolina Cruz leading six Bobcats averaging over two kills per set with 2.67. 2024 Sun Conference Championship MVP Sana Dennis chips in 2.48 kills on a .415 hitting percentage that ranks fifth among student-athletes averaging over one attempt per game, while Tayla Barnes (2.51), Maria Eduarda Ferreira Ramos (2.50), Hope Leavy-Gaskins (2.43) and Alexandra Bruno (2.00) all average two or more kills. Four-time Sun Conference Libero of the Year Bianca Grassi anchors the defense behind 5.51 digs, adding 0.35 service aces with Barnes contributing 0.93 blocks.
McPherson (29-6) punched its ticket to the final site with a 3-0 victory over Columbia College. The Bulldogs hit .276, the third-highest rate in the NAIA, with 14.06 kills that ranks eighth on top of 16.47 digs, 1.86 blocks and 1.53 service aces.
All-Kanss Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) First Team honoree Brooke McHale sparks the Bulldogs' offense behind 2.81 kills, getting the ball from Raegen Murphy and Katelynn Brogan who tally 6.08 and 4.40 assists respectively. Celestina Retumban uses 4.60 digs to lead the defense while All-Conference First Team selection Enya Fierens tallies 0.91 blocks.
Oklahoma Wesleyan (31-2) secured its spot at the final site with a 3-0 triumph over Indiana East. The Eagles boast the second-highest hitting percentage in the NAIA with a 14.13 kills per set rate that ranks seventh while adding 15.75 digs, 1.74 service aces and 1.73 blocks.
KCAC First Team member Evelyn Rohrberg ranks second in the NAIA with 4.92 kills on a .348 hitting percentage while fellow First-Team member Sydney Collins records 11.52 assists which ranks second in the country. All-KCAC Third-Team member Maria Luisa Caycedo tallied 4.04 digs with Second-Team honoree Tijana Stojilkovic adding 0.75.
