Kingsport, Tenn. - Looking to secure their second-consecutive trip to the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship Finals on Friday afternoon, the seventh-ranked St. Thomas University Men's Volleyball team fended off Warner in the second and third set of a 3-0 sweep (25-14, 26-24, 25-22) in the Semifinals.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: #7 St. Thomas 3, Warner 0
Records: #7 St. Thomas (23-4, 14-0 AAC) | Warner (9-15, 7-7 AAC)
All-Time Series: STU leads 5-0
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- STU raced out to a 6-0 lead in the opening set and kept the lead above five for the rest of the frame.
- The Bobcats flipped Warner's 2-0 lead midway through the second set behind a 4-0 run that gave STU a 13-11 lead before fending off a Royals' comeback effort that knotted the score at 24-all with back-to-back points.
- Trailing late in the third set 21-20, the Bobcats scored three-straight to reclaim the lead at 23-21.
NOTEWORTHY:
- Kaelen Ingram paced the offense behind 17 kills on a .394 clip, adding three total blocks and two service aces.
- Michael Marsans chipped in 10 kills and three assisted blocks.
- Rafael Obrusnik dished out 34 assists with seven service aces and six digs.
- Cameron Gray added seven digs.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- The Bobcats ended the match with 43 kills on a .318 hitting percentage; Warner tallied 28 on a .203 clip.
- STU served 11 aces versus two for the Royals.
- St. Thomas recorded two solo blocks with 12 assisted blocks versus two solo blocks and 14 assisted for Warner.
- Warner held a 26-24 advantage in digs.
UP NEXT:
The Bobcats await the victor of the Reinhardt vs Life Semifinal matchup in the Finals on Saturday, April 18 with first serve set for 1 pm.
