Kingsport, Tenn. - With history in sight on Saturday afternoon, the seventh-ranked St. Thomas Men's Volleyball team defeated in-state foe Webber University 31 (32-30, 25-11, 23-25, 25-19) in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship match to claim the Tournament title. 

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 
Final:  #7 St. Thomas 3, Webber International 1 
Records: St. Thomas (23-1), Webber International (15-5) 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• Set 1 – In a back-and-forth opening frame that saw neither side hold a lead greater than two, the Bobcats fended off three sets point before taking the first set on their third try. 

• Set 2 – The Bobcats scored the opening point of the second set and never trailed, quickly creating a double-digit lead at 16-6. 

• Set 3 – After trading the initial 38 points of the third frame Webber scored back-to-back points with neither side creating a run of consecutive points down the stretch to force a fourth set. 

• Set 4 – Trailing 4-2 early in the fourth set, the Bobcats flipped the advantage behind a 5-0 run and kept the lead for the rest of the contest. 

 
NOTEWORTHY: 

• All-Tournament Team member Kaelen Ingram boasted 26 kills on a .419 clip, adding seven digs, three assisted blocks and one solo block. 

• Tournament MVP Matheus Collares dished out 63 assists. 

• Gabriel Pavao Vianna tallied nine digs. 

• All-Tournament Team member Gabriel Negrao chipped in 20 kills on a .643 clip. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: 

• STU finished the match with 67 kills on a .442 hitting percentage versus 59 kills on a .331 clip for the Warriors. 

• St. Thomas served eight aces versus three for Truett McConnell. 

• The Bobcats logged one solo block and 12 assisted, Webber recorded one solo and eight assisted.  

• STU held a 37-14 advantage in digs. 

UP NEXT: 

The NAIA Selection is set for Tuesday, April 22.