SHERMAN, Texas -- Trailing 2-1, Southwestern fought back in the fourth set and held on in the fifth and earn a spot in the championship final, defeating St. Thomas, 3-2, Friday evening in SCAC Volleyball Tournament semifinal play on the campus of Austin College. Official Championships Website | Photo Album | Tournament Stats | Interview w/ Southwestern Head Coach Don Flora and senior defensive specialist/libero Geneva Nedrow
The Pirates advance to the SCAC championship final for the first time since 2021 and 12th time in program history.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Southwestern held St. Thomas to .000 hitting percentage and the Celts committed 13 errors as the Pirates took the 25-20 first set victory.
- St. Thomas turned the tables and held the Pirates to a .000 attack percentage while improving to .333 from their end in a dominating 25-9 second set victory to even the match at 1.
- The third set was a back and forth tussle with 15 ties - the last time at 22 - and neither team taking more than a three point lead. The Celts finally prevailed, 25-23, with a huge block by sophomore middle blocker Brenna Groenemann providing the match point.
- After St. Thomas took the lead in the fourth set at 19-18, its first lead since 4-3, Southwestern rattled off seven of the next nine points to earn the 25-21 fourth set victory and send the match to a fifth and deciding set.
- The Pirates jumped out to a 9-3 lead but had to hold off a late rally by the Celts, who cut Southwestern's lead to 13-11, before taking the 15-11 fifth set win and 3-2 victory.
SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Emily Marks: 12 kills, 2 digs, 2 blocks
- Christina Kuras: 11 kills
- Carly Berkman: 8 digs, 6 digs
- Geneva Nedrow: 29 digs, 3 assists, 3 service aces
UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Alexis Bodunrin: 12 kills, 2 service aces, 20 digs, 2 blocks
- Audrey Cataline: 10 kills, 4 digs
- Laynee Beam: 7 kills, 5 blocks
- Ariana Willis: 8 kills, 5 digs, 2 blocks
- Kendall Howard: 28 assists, 9 digs
NOTABLES
- In the tournament's sixth and final match of the day, it marked the deepest a SCAC volleyball tournament has gone before its first five-set match since the 2012 event when there were no five-set matches.
- In their only match of the 2024 regular season, Southwestern swept St. Thomas, Oct. 13, on their home floor, 3-0.
- Southwestern will make its 12th appearance in the SCAC tournament final. The Pirates are 4-7 in their previous 11 title game appearances, earning their last conference tournament crown in 2015.
- This will be the 10th SCAC final featuring a Southwestern/Trinity matchup - the most times two teams have played each other in the conference final in league history. Trinity holds a 6-3 margin in those previous championship match-ups. The last time the two played in the final was in 2021 when Trinity defeated Southwestern, 3-1, in the title match.
- St. Thomas sends its season with a 15-17 mark.
UP NEXT
Southwestern (23-5 overall) advances to the 2024 SCAC Championship where they will take on Trinity, who defeated Austin College, 3-1, in the evening's first semifinal match. The winner of the championship match will earn the SCAC's automatic qualifier to the 2024 NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship.
