Sioux City, Iowa– Facing the daunting task of the top seed at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Championships with a berth in the quarterfinals on the line on Friday morning, the 16th-seeded St. Thomas University took Eastern Oregon to four sets in a 3-1 (25-22, 25-15, 23-25, 25-13) setback. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 
Final: #16 St. Thomas 1, #1 Eastern Oregon 3 
Records: #16 St. Thomas (25-5), Eastern Oregon (31-2) 
All-Time Series: STU Trails 2-0

HOW IT HAPPENED:  

• Trailing early 5-1, the Bobcats rallied to get within one at 7-6 and knotted the score at 20-all before the Mountaineers scored back-to-back points and kept the lead down the stretch. 

• After trading the opening four points of the second set EOU scored back-to-back and led for the rest of the stanza. 

• Facing a 14-10 deficit midway through the third set, the Bobcats took the lead behind a 10-1 stretch that propelled them to a 20-15 advantage. 

• The two sides traded the initial 24 points of the fourth set before a 6-0 EOU run pushed them ahead 18-12. 

NOTEWORTHY: 

• Alexandra Bruno paced the Bobcats behind 11 kills and eight digs. 

• Aleksandra Ivanovic added 10 kills on a .600 clip. 

• Payton Bertke dished out 39 assists with 14 digs for a double double. 

• Fabiana Mucciola boasted 26 digs. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: 

• The Bobcats ended the match with 51 kills on a .109 hitting percentage; Eastern Oregon tallied 54 on a .258 clip. 

• STU served one ace while EOU logged five. 

• St. Thomas recorded 12 assisted blocks versus three solo and 14 assisted for Eastern Oregon. 

• The Bobcats held a 72-60 advantage in digs.