Playing in someone’s shadow is never easy, especially when that person is your sibling.

St. Thomas fans congregated at Schoenecker Arena today to congratulate the St. Thomas volleyball team on its first ever NCAA volleyball championship victory in school history.

The 2012 St. Thomas volleyball season added several impressive feats to an already successful program. With its first national title under its belt, let’s look back at what made this fall the best season yet.

HOLLAND, Mich. — Outside hitter Jill Greenfield’s 14 kills played a pivotal role in the St. Thomas volleyball team’s five-set victory over No. 1 Calvin (Mich.) for the NCAA title, making it the first in school history.

TommieMedia creative designer Jessica Root put together the brackets for the volleyball playoffs. TommieMedia will update the brackets throughout the tournament.

HOLLAND, Mich. — Defensive specialist Kaiti Wachter’s 24 digs pushed the St. Thomas volleyball team to a 3-0 victory over Elmhurst (Ill.) in an NCAA national semifinal Friday at Hope College, advancing the team to its first national championship match in program history.

Outside hitter Jill Greenfield’s eight kills guided the St. Thomas volleyball team to a sweep of Clarkson University (N.Y.) in a national quarterfinal Thursday at Hope College.

Setter Katie Maher’s 31 assists drove the St. Thomas volleyball team to its second consecutive NCAA regional championship with a 3-1 win over St. Benedict Saturday at Schoenecker Arena.

Defensive specialist Kaiti Wachter’s 22 digs pushed the Tommies into the regional championship match, defeating Wisconsin-Eau Claire in three sets.

Middle blocker Kelly Foley’s 22 kills guided the St. Thomas volleyball team to a victory over Cornell Thursday at Schoenecker Arena in the first round of the NCAA regional tournament.

The St. Thomas volleyball team (34-1) will begin its national tournament journey when it competes against Cornell College (Iowa) (20-10) 8 p.m. Thursday at home.

Middle blocker Kelly Foley’s 18 kills were crucial in the St. Thomas volleyball team’s victory over St. Benedict Saturday at Schoenecker Arena.

Junior defensive specialist McKenna Reagan led the seventh-ranked St. Thomas volleyball team with 18 kills Thursday to defeat Carleton 3-2 and put her team in the MIAC playoff finals against St. Benedict Saturday at Schoenecker Arena.

Volleyball coach Thanh Pham and junior Katie Maher join sports editor Ross Schreck in The Locker Room to talk about the season so far.

Junior middle blocker Paige Brimeyer’s 10 kills helped the St. Thomas volleyball team sweep Concordia-Moorhead 3-0 Oct. 2, at Schoenecker Arena.