Tommies Sweep Blue Devils, Advance to ACAA Semifinal

The St. Thomas University Tommies bested the University of King's College Blue Devils 3-0 in the ACAA women's volleyball quarterfinal Friday afternoon at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym.

Set scores were 25-23, 25-18, and 25-11.

Claire Richard paced the Tommies—who averaged a kill percentage of .251 in the match—with 13 kills and seven digs. Deidra Jones added 11 kills, seven digs, and five service aces.

The Blue Devils were sparked by Abby Hourigan, who collected five kills and eight digs.

Both teams showed some nerves to start the first set, trading points off unforced errors. The Blue Devils took an early lead, but the Tommies managed to settle in and tie the game at 11. It was back and forth the rest of the way, with the Tommies gaining an edge off a solid offensive output from Megan Mills, Hannah Millier, and Jones.

The Tommies came out swinging in the second, scoring three straight points on route to a 7-1 lead. Unforced errors by STU, coupled with strong serving from the UKC, brought the Blue Devils back within five. Hourigan was a force from the service line, forcing the Tommies out of their systems and allowing the Blue Devils to close the gap to three points. A couple of big hits and two straight points from Jones gave the Tommies the edge they needed to take a two-set lead.

In the third set, the Tommies jumped to an early 12-4 advantage, and despite a late push from the Blue Devils, held on for the sweep.

Jones was named the Tommies Player of the Game, while Hourigan earned the honour for the Blue Devils.

With the win, the Tommies advance to the conference semifinal against the Holland College Hurricanes. First serve is at 2:00 pm.