St. Thomas volleyball players do their pre-game ritual as they gear up to take on Macalester. (Davis Narey/TommieMedia)
Assistant Coach Dave Orren lightens the mood during a timeout as St. Thomas was coasting its way to a win over Macalester. (Davis Narey/TommieMedia)
Hannah Schwartz sets for the incoming spike late in the third set preparing for the Tommies’ win. (Davis Narey/TommieMedia)
Coach Thanh Pham signals a point for St. Thomas as the ball goes out of bounds for Macalester. St Thomas was dominant the whole match. (Davis Narey/TommieMedia)
Grace Duffy reaches and blocks late in the first set. St. Thomas went on to win the first set. (Davis Narey/TommieMedia)
Katharine Mallak sets up Grace Duffy for the spike as her teammates watch on early in the second set. (Davis Narey/TommieMedia)
Katharine Mallak and Grace Bordson show some appreciation to go up two sets to zero. (Davis Narey/TommieMedia)
Hannah Schwartz winds up for the serve in the third set as St. Thomas holds onto a commanding lead. (Davis Narey/TommieMedia)
Grace Bordson winds up for the serve in the second set. St. Thomas held a strong lead throughout the set. (Davis Narey/TommieMedia)
Ellie Meyer eyes up the serve as her teammates watch on in the first set. Meyer led the team to a victory over Macalester. (Davis Narey/TommieMedia)
Meghan Mazzola and Ellie Meyer bump fists as they get ready to go in the first set. (Davis Narey/TommieMedia)
The players followed by the coaches high-five after a hard-fought match by both sides. St. Thomas went on to win three sets to zero and continued their dominant season. (Davis Narey/TommieMedia)
Middle blocker Grace Duffy registered eight kills on 20 total attempts as St. Thomas volleyball defeated the Macalester Scots in three sets Saturday afternoon at Schoenecker Arena.
Two of the Tommies’ (5-0 MIAC, 15-2 overall) top three hitters were not on the court against the Scots. Reserve players took the court in their place and powered past the Scots (0-3 MIAC, 3-8 overall) in the first set 25-13. The quick start set the team up for success later in the match.
“We are really proud that we were able to perform,” Pham said. “Like everything, there is a learning curve, and I’m glad that they made it out on the positive end of it.”
Middle blocker Grace Duffy supplied the Tommies with eight kills to the match. Duffy said the reserve players contributed to the win.
“It’s fun to see that we can come together as a team and work as a machine,” Duffy said.
Attacker Erin Heidenrich dominated the court with 10 digs and eight kills, making her a powerhouse asset during the match.
The sweep in this match gears the Tommies up for their next game tonight at Northwestern.
St. Thomas sits atop the MIAC with a 5-0 conference record. The Tommies travel to Wisconsin-Eau Claire Oct. 4th for their second match of the season against the Blugolds.
MacKenzie Bailey can be reached at bail7757@stthomas.edu