ST. PAUL, Minn. – The No. 25 University of Puget Sound volleyball team suffered a season-ending defeat to No. 12 St. Thomas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The host Tommies (29-6) swept the Loggers (18-7) 25-17, 25-16, 25-22 to advance to the second round.
The Loggers started hot as they matched the Tommies step-for=step to open the match. The first set started with neither team taking more than a one-point lead until the Tommies went on a run to open an 18-11 lead and eventually take the set.
The Tommies rode the momentum of the first set to quickly open an 12-3 lead in the second set and eventually clinched a 25-16 victory.
In the match, the Tommies were led by 12 kills by Katie Bonnie and 31 assists from Emily Foster. All-NWC hitter Brynn Blickenstaff led the Loggers with seven kills in the match. Jamie Ecklund added five kills for the Loggers, who hit .057 in the match.
The Tommies once again opened a big lead in the third set. They cruised to a 20-10 lead, but Ecklund pounded four of her kills to lead a Logger comeback. The Loggers rattled off seven consecutive points to close the gap to 20-17 and eventually closed the gap to 23-22. However, the Tommies responded by scoring the final two points of the match to clinch the sweep.
The Loggers had a strong showing at the net, outblocking the Tommies 7-6. Molly Gibson and Ecklund each contributed two solo blocks. Marissa Florant had a team-high 17 digs for the Loggers and Juliette Witous added 11 digs.
With the loss, the Loggers season comes to an end. With the berth in the NCAA Tournament, the Loggers have earned at-large bids in the last four consecutive years to the national tournament. The Loggers will lose just three seniors next year and return two first team All-NWC players in Blickenstaff and Erika Greene.
