Montgomery, Ala. – It might have been different Eagles that the 19th-ranked St. Thomas volleyball team played against on Friday at the Faulkner Tournament, but it was the same results for the Bobcats via a 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-23) victory over Texas A&M-Texarkana and a 3-0 sweep of Reinhardt (25-20, 25-22, 25-16) to extend their season-opening winning streak to seven games. 
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUPS: 
Final: #19 St. Thomas 3, Texas A&M-Texarkana 0 | #19 St. Thomas 3, Reinhardt 0 
Records: #19 St. Thomas (1-0), Texas A&M-Texarkana (0-1), Reinhardt (0-2) 
All-Time Series: St. Thomas leads Texas A&M-Texarkana 1-0, leads Reinhardt 1-0 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1):  

• Set 1 -After trading the initial 22 points of the contest, the Bobcats scored back-to-back points to take a slim 13-11 lead. Texarkana kept the separation within three for the rest of the match, making it a one-point contest at 18-17 before a quick 2-0 spree by the Bobcats recreated their three-point cushion at 20-17.  

• Set 2 – The Bobcats used a 6-1 stretch to pull ahead from Texarkana 16-11, fending off a late rally that made it a one-point contest at 21-20 to take the 2-0 overall lead. 

• Set 3 – Facing a late 21-20 deficit, STU scored the ensuing three points to take a 23-21 advantage. The Eagles ended the run with the ensuing point but St. Thomas prevented them from stringing together a run of consecutive points before clinching. 

 
NOTEWORTHY (GAME 1): 

• Carolina Guerreiro Cruz led the offense behind 12 kills on a .303 clip with one service ace and one assisted block. 

•  Sana Dennis sparked the Bobcats using seven kills, two solo blocks and two assisted blocks. 

• Bianca Grassi tallied 17 digs with one service ace. 

• Payton Bertke dished out 33 assists on top of nine digs. 
   

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (GAME 1): 

• STU finished the match with 40 kills on a .161 hitting percentage versus 36 kills on a .138 clip for the Eagles. 

• St. Thomas served four aces while Texarkana tallied eight. 

• The Bobcats boasted five solo blocks with eight assisted, Texas A&M Texarkana recorded three solo and six assisted. 

• The Eagles held a 48-47 advantage in digs. 

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2):  

• Set 1 –Trailing by one midway through the opening set, the Bobcats used a 5-1 stretch to take a 19-16 lead while holding Reinhardt without a run of consecutive points for the rest of the set to take a 1-0 overall lead. 

• Set 2 – St. Thomas pulled ahead of the Eagles midway through the frame at 14-10 behind a 7-0 rally, fending off a Reinhardt comeback that knotted the score at 21-all via a 3-0 retort. 

• Set 3 – STU created an early 12-5 advantage and kept the lead above five for the duration of the night. 

 
NOTEWORTHY (GAME 2): 

• Alexandra Bruno paced the offense behind 10 kills, four service aces, four assisted blocks and one solo block. 

• Grassi tallied 18 digs with one service ace. 

• Bertke dished out 26 assists. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (GAME 2): 

• STU finished the match with 37 kills on a .232 hitting percentage versus 29 kills on a .061 clip for the Eagles. 

• St. Thomas served five aces while Reinhardt tallied seven. 

• The Bobcats boasted one solo block with 14 assisted, Reinhardt recorded one solo and eight assisted. 

• STU held a 41-37 advantage in digs. 

UP NEXT: 

The Bobcats take on William Carey and Freed-Hardeman in a doubleheader to close out play at the Faulkner Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 24 with first serve slated for 10 am.