Volleyball battles early, sweeps St. Kate’s

vball

The St. Thomas volleyball team won its sixth straight match Wednesday, using 11 players in a 3-0 triumph over St. Catherine’s University in its home opener at Schoenecker Arena.

The Tommies (10-4 overall, 2-0 MIAC) trailed early in all three sets against the Wildcats (8-6 overall, 0-2 MIAC) before rallying to win each 25-15, 25-15 and 25-11.

St. Thomas used a 9-3 run to close out the first set, an 8-3 run to close out the second set and a 10-3 run to close out the match.

The victory gave the Tommies their 10th win of the season, already surpassing their nine-win mark from last season.

“I’m really proud of the girls,” coach Thanh Pham said. “They’ve been working really hard this past year and it showed tonight.”

Taylor Lewis was the leading scorer for the Tommies with eight points, including seven kills, two blocks and seven digs.

Aubrey Erickson finished with seven and a half points, including seven kills.

Last week’s MIAC Hitter of the Week Whitney Lloyd had five and a half points, as did Ellie Etzell and Brooke Reichart.

Ellie Meyer had 23 digs to lead the Tommies.

Abby Louwagie finished with 17 assists.

“It was a team win,” Pham said. “It didn’t matter who was in or out.”

While Pham is pleased with how his team is playing, he knows that the team must shift its focus to the next opponent instead of thinking about the winning streak.

“The streak doesn’t matter to me,” Pham said. “We need to take it one day at a time, one match at a time and get better.”

The Tommies will face St. Mary’s (14-1 overall, 2-0 MIAC) Saturday in Winona at 3 p.m.

“Saint Mary’s is a really good team,” Pham said. “We just need to stay balanced and composed and we should do just fine.”

Taylor Smith can be reached at smit9660@stthomas.edu.