Sioux City, Iowa – Behind a commanding .319 hitting percentage and a pair of Bobcats boasting double-digit kills with hitting percentages over .390 on Thursday morning, the 16th-seeded St. Thomas University Women's Volleyball Team swept 24th-seeded Huntington 3-0 (25-12, 25-23, 25-17) to begin play at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championship Pool Play. 

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 
Final: #16 St. Thomas 3, #24 Huntington 0 
Records: #16 St. Thomas (25-4), Huntington(25-10) 
All-Time Series: First Meeting 
 

HOW IT HAPPENED:  

• The Bobcats scored the opening point of the contest and never trailed during the opening stanza, holding their opposition to a .000 hitting percentage during the first set. 

• Trailing late in the second set 18-17, St. Thomas flipped the one-point lead off back-to-back points before fending off a Huntington rally after forcing set point to go up 2-0 overall. 

• STU overcame an early 7-6 deficit behind a 4-0 run and held their opponents without a run greater than three for the rest of the match to complete the sweep. 

NOTEWORTHY: 

• Alexandra Bruno filled out the stat sheet behind 12 kills on a .500 hitting percentage, eight digs and three service aces. 

• Raya Mlyakova added 11 kills on a .391 clip. 

• Tayla Barnes boasted five assisted blocks alongside one solo. 

• Payton Bertke dished out 39 assists, a 13.00 per-set average. 

• Fabiana Mucciola anchored the defense with 13 digs. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: 

• The Bobcats ended the match with 41 kills on a .319 hitting percentage, Huntington tallied 31 on a .086 clip. 

• STU served seven aces while HU logged three. 

• St. Thomas recorded one solo block and 12 assisted blocks versus one solo and six assisted for Huntington. 

• The Bobcats held a 44-39 advantage in digs. 

UP NEXT: 

The Bobcats take on top-seeded Eastern Oregon with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line on Friday, Dec. 5 with first serve set for 10:00 am Eastern Time.