St. Thomas Aquinas volleyball demonstrated its defining resilience on Thursday night, overcoming a shaky start to sweep No. 13 Prospect Mountain in the Division III preliminary round. The fourth-seeded Saints trailed 7-2 in the opening set and faced a tense tie at 20, but they executed a decisive closing run to take the first game 25-21. That momentum carried through the subsequent sets, resulting in a dominant 25-18 and 25-9 victory that secured their advancement to the quarterfinals.
Saints rally from early deficit to secure 3-0 victory and set up Saturday clash with Trinity
Freshman Hadley DeStefano led the offensive charge with 10 kills and four aces, while senior Jules Stowell contributed six kills and two aces. The performance validated the team’s all-season focus on mental toughness and the ability to respond after falling behind. “We came out struggling a little bit, but we definitely fought back,” DeStefano noted, emphasizing that playoff opponents always compete at maximum intensity. The Saints’ ability to stabilize their serve receive and attack in critical moments proved decisive against the Prospect Mountain defense.
With the win, St. Thomas improves to 14-3 and will host No. 5 Trinity on Saturday at 6 p.m. for a high-stakes quarterfinal matchup. Trinity enters the contest with an identical 14-3 record after a 3-0 victory over No. 12 Sunapee. This upcoming contest represents a significant test for the Saints, as they aim to extend their playoff run against a top-five opponent in their home gym.
Source: Yahoo Sports
