(CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) – The Thomas More University women's volleyball team swept the University of the Cumberlands Patriots Friday night in the Connor Convocation Center, 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 27-25). This is the Saints second sweep on the Patriots this season.
The Saints and Patriots were neck and neck throughout the entire match, with neither team gaining a major advantage. Set one saw Thomas More grab a 20-16 lead. Up to this point,
Sawyer Lorentz had four kills, while
Matilde Giamberini and
Sydney Hilderbran had three each. Cumberlands would come back though and used a 6-2 push to tie the set at 22-22. The seniors for the Saints stepped up though, as
Ally Albrinck had two kills and Lorentz had one over the final three points to give Thomas More the 1-0 lead.
The Patriots took a 6-1 lead right from the start of set two and would hold a steady lead during the early portion. However, with the score at 9-5, the Saints began to make their move. Three aces and two
Brenna Young kills helped manufacture a 7-4 flurry to get to within one at 13-12. The Patriots would stand strong and go back up four points at 16-12.
A pair of Giamberini kills and a trio of Cumberlands mistakes tied the set up at 17-17 after the 5-1 Saints run. Thomas More would keep it going, grabbing a 21-18 lead after a pair of Lorentz and Albrinck kills. The Patriots would cut it to one, but an error ended the set with the Saints on top, giving them a 2-0 match lead.
The final set was a thriller as Cumberlands took a few four-point leads but Thomas More wouldn't go away. They tied it up at 21-21 after a 3-0 push led by kills from Giamberini and Lorentz.
The Patriots would take a 24-23 lead though, one point away from their first set win after a crazy back and forth point. A key Saints timeout gave them a breather and time to regroup. Out of the break, two Patriot errors put Thomas More in the driver's seat at 25-24. Cumberlands would tie it before the seniors ended their final regular season home match with a pair of kills. Lorentz made it 26-25 before Albrinck put a bow on the match with the final point and a Saints win.
- Lorentz had a team-high 15 kills while Albrinck added 14, as they both hit .353 in the match.
- Asia Ferrando (35) and Delaney Needham (20) both had career-highs in digs. This is Ferrando's third match of the season with 30 or more digs.
- Kaitlyn Stivers also had double-digit digs for the second straight match with 10.
- Sam McClanahan had 43 assists, her eighth match this season with 41 or more assists.
The Saints get the week off before making their second trip to Tennessee this season for a pair of matches with Tennessee Southern (Nov. 4) and Cumberland University (Nov. 5) to finish their regular season. They beat both teams in their lone matches last season.
