St. Thomas University Bobcats

West Palm Beach, Fla. – Highlighted by a five-set triumph over three-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Champions Indiana Wesleyan University, the 14th-ranked St. Thomas University Women's Volleyball team won three games at the Keiser Summer Classic to claim the "Silver Division" title. 

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUPS: 
Final: #14 St. Thomas 1, Morningside 3 | #14 St. Thomas 3, RV Taylor 0 | #14 St. Thomas 3, #3 Indiana Wesleyan 2 | #14 St. Thomas 3, Keiser 1 
Record: 2-2 
All-Time Series: STU trails Morningside 1-0, tied with Taylor 2-2, trails Indiana Wesleyan 4-1, leads Keiser 36-15. 
 

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1):  

• Morningside scored the opening three points of the contest and never trailed in the opening set. 

• The Bobcats overcame an early 5-2 deficit in the second frame behind a 4-0 run while holding their opposition without a run greater than three for the rest of the stanza to even the overall score. 

• Morningside broke a 7-7 stalemate in the third set by scoring five of the ensuing seven points to take the lead which they maintained for the rest of the frame. 

• Morningside scored seven of the initial 10 points of the fourth set and kept the lead for the remainder of the match. 

NOTEWORTHY (GAME 1): 

• Raya Mlyakova led the offense behind 17 kills on a .324 clip while adding nine digs and two service aces. 

• Payton Bertke dished out 30 assists with seven digs. 

• Isabela Aviloff boasted 16 digs. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (GAME 1): 

• The Bobcats ended the match with 50 kills on a .234 hitting percentage; Morningside tallied 46 on a .205 clip. 

• STU served six aces while the opposition tallied 13 

• St. Thomas recorded six assisted blocks and two solo blocks versus five assisted for Morningside. 

• The Bobcats held a 58-56 advantage in digs. 

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2):  

• The Bobcats fended off a late rally attempt by Taylor in the first set that got them within one at 21-20 before the Bobcats scored four of the final five points to take the opening frame. 

• Trailing 17-12 midway through the second set, STU used a 10-2 stretch to flip the advantage at 22-19 before scoring back-to-back points with a 23-all score to take a 2-0 overall lead. 

• The Bobcats scored the opening two points of the third set and never trailed in the stanza to complete the sweep. 

NOTEWORTHY (GAME 2): 

• Mlyakova paced the offense behind 12 kills on a .364 clip while adding nine digs and two service aces. 

• Bertke dished out 29 assists with six digs. 

• Aviloff tallied seven digs. 

• Sofia Sanchez tied for the team lead with seven digs. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (GAME 2): 

• The Bobcats ended the match with 43 kills on a .306 hitting percentage; Taylor tallied 26 on a .123 clip. 

• Both sides served seven aces. 

• St. Thomas recorded two assisted blocks and two solo blocks versus three solo for Taylor. 

• The Bobcats held a 32-24 advantage in digs. 

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 3):  

• In a back-and-forth opening set that saw neither side hold a lead greater than three, the Bobcats took the initial set point only for three-straight IWU points giving them the opening frame. 

• The Bobcats countered a set-set opening point by Indiana Wesleyan with four-straight and kept the lead for the duration of the stanza. 

• After splitting the initial 14 points of the third set, the Bobcats five-straight to take a 12-7 lead before extended their advantage to 18-10. 

• Indiana Wesleyan overcame an 18-12 separation off a 6-0 run that knotted the score before taking the lead at 21-20. 

• The Bobcats broke a 7-7 start to the tiebreaker game using back-to-back tallies and kept the lead for the rest of the set.  

NOTEWORTHY (GAME 3): 

• Mlyakova erupted for 19 kills on a .361 clip on top of five digs and three solo blocks. 

• Ranya Mehta chipped in 13 kills. 

• Alexandra Bruno tallied 13 digs and 12 kills for a double-double. 

• Bertke dished out 47 assists with seven digs. 

• Aviloff boasted 16 digs. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (GAME 3): 

• The Bobcats ended the match with 63 kills on a .215 hitting percentage; IWU tallied 54 on a .116 clip. 

• STU served three aces while the opposition tallied eight 

• St. Thomas recorded 13 assisted blocks and four solo blocks versus 20 assisted and three solo for Indiana Wesleyan. 

• The Bobcats held a 66-58 advantage in digs. 

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 4):  

• Keiser pushed ahead midway through the opening set behind a 4-0 run that gave them an 18-15 lead, holding the Bobcats without a run greater than two down the stretch to take the initial frame. 

• The Bobcats took an early 9-4 lead in the second set off five-straight points, creating a double-digit advantage at 22-11. 

• St. Thomas responded to a Keiser tally to start the third frame with back-to-back points and kept the lead for the duration of the frame. 

• STU scored the initial point of the fourth set and never trailed in the stanza. 

NOTEWORTHY (GAME 4): 

• Mlyakova boasted 15 kills on a .480 hitting percentage with eight digs and four service aces. 

• Bruno added 14 kills. 

• Bertke dished out 46 assists with 11 digs for a double-double. 

• Isabel Narbutas added two solo blocks and four assisted. 

• Aviloff boasted 16 digs. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (GAME 4): 

• The Bobcats ended the match with 54 kills on a .299 hitting percentage; Keiser tallied 54 on a .211 clip. 

• STU served seven aces while the opposition tallied one. 

• St. Thomas recorded 12 assisted blocks and three solo blocks versus four assisted and two solo for Keiser. 

• The Bobcats held a 53-47 advantage in digs. 

UP NEXT: 

The Bobcats travel to Florida National on Friday, Aug. 21 with first serve set for 12 pm.