St. Thomas (Fla.) Captures Sixth Championship Pool Play Win in School History
Sioux City, Iowa [BOX SCORE | SCHEDULE] – The St. Thomas (Fla.) Bobcats triumphed over the Huntington (Ind.) Foresters in a 3-0 (25-12, 25-23, and 25-17) victory at the 2025 NAIA Women's Volleyball Championship out of pool A.
St. Thomas showcased their superior attacking and defensive abilities right from the start. The team recorded an impressive hitting percentage of .319 compared to Huntington’s .086. This efficiency in attack was led by standout performances from players like Alexandra Bruno and Raya Mlyakova.
Alexandra Bruno led STU with 12 kills and achieved a remarkable hitting percentage of .500. Her performance was bolstered by three service aces. Teammate Raya Mlyakova, also made a substantial impact, recording 11 kills with a hitting percentage of .391. Payton Bertke was instrumental in orchestrating the offense with 39 assists.
On the defensive side, St. Thomas’s blocking game was superior, with 12 block assists compared to Huntington’s six. Tayla Barnes was particularly effective at the net, contributing to the team’s blocking efforts with five assisted blocks and one solo block.
The Foresters struggled to find their rhythm throughout the match. Trevyn Terry and Maisyn Robrock led the charge for Huntington with eight and nine kills respectively. The team also faced challenges with errors, recording 22 attack errors compared to St. Thomas’s 11.
The Bobcats moved to six pool play wins in tournament history.
With the loss, Huntington has been eliminated from championship play. St. Thomas will play one more pool play match for a chance to compete in the quarterfinals. STU will play Eastern Oregon on December 5 at 9 a.m. CT on court 2.
