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No. 5 Thomas More knocks off Transy on Friday night, extends home winning streak to 21


By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

Because college athletes are human, a next-game letdown is almost inevitable after knocking off the nation’s top-ranked team. Doesn’t matter the level, be it NCAA Division I, II, III or the NAIA, the motivation is subconsciously reduced just a tad for the next opponent.

Meanwhile, the next opponent is overflowing with incentive and ready to deliver its best shot against the conquerors of the nation’s No. 1 team.

That’s what faced the volleyball team at Thomas More University on Friday night when red-hot Transylvania visited Crestview Hills. A week ago, the Saints upset previously unbeaten and top-ranked Calvin (Mich.) on the road. As a result, Thomas More jumped to No. 5 in the AVCA’s latest NCAA Division III national poll.

Thomas More’s Jenna Fessler (8) attempts an attack against the defense of Transylvania’s Ellie Stigger on Friday night. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

Toss in the fact Transylvania — winners of six consecutive matches going into Friday — had taken Thomas More to five sets before falling earlier this season in Lexington, and it made complete sense the hangover effect would surface after the huge win at Calvin.

Guess what? Maybe the Thomas More volleyball players aren’t mere mortals, after all. What the Saints are proving, though, is that they are definitely one of the nation’s top teams — and possibly the best.

Carlee Lambert slammed down 18 kills and attacked at a sizzling .600 clip as Thomas More swept past visiting Transylvania, 28-26, 26-24, 25-18, in the Connor Convocation Center. Jenna Mummert added 14 kills as the Saints improved to 23-2. The Pioneers, who compete in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, dropped to 12-10 this season.

Thomas More has now won 21 consecutive matches at home dating back to the 2016 season. The Saints have not lost at home since Sept. 21, 2016, when Hanover pulled out a five-set victory in the Connor Convocation Center.

“I think Transylvania is going to win their conference and they are going to be in the NCAA Tournament,” Thomas More head coach John Spinney said after his team emerged with a victory from an extremely competitive match. “Both teams are NCAA Tournament teams, and that’s the caliber of play everyone saw tonight.”

In the opening set, Lambert took 10 swings and converted eight kills without an error as Thomas More rallied for a 28-26 win. Mummert hammered a kill for set point off an assist from setter Jenna Fessler.

Transylvania bolted out to a 9-4 lead in the second set, but Thomas More countered with a 6-1 run to tie it up at 10-all. The teams traded points in a back-and-forth contest the remainder of the set until Transylvania took a 24-23 lead.

Thomas More’s Carlee Lambert records one of her 18 kills against Transylvania on Friday night. Lambert also hit .600 as the Saints won in three sets. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

Thomas More responded with three straight points, capped by a monster kill from Mummert to post a 26-24 win. The Saints coasted in the third set, limiting the visitors to a .043 hitting percentage and attacking at a .216 clip for a 25-18 victory.

“We’ve been there before and played a very tough schedule, and so has Transylvania, but we kept our poise when we were behind,” Spinney said of the rallies in the first two sets. “It’s hard to keep the razor-sharp focus [after beating the No. 1 team in the country]. Transylvania came into this match knowing they almost beat us earlier this season, and I thought they had more energy than we did in our own gym.”

Fessler dished out 46 assists for Thomas More, which is No. 1 nationally in the latest NCAA Division III statistics in kills per set at 14.88.

“Transylvania took us five sets at their place earlier this season and they are tough, and it’s a nice in-state rivalry,” Fessler said. “We wanted to use the momentum from beating Calvin to carry us. Our goal is the national championship, so we can’t lose focus.”

Freshman outside hitter Emily Mohs, who was 21st nationally entering Friday’s match with 329 kills, finished with 12 spikes. The Saints hit .181 for the match, while Transylvania finished at .123.

Lambert, a sophomore from Cincinnati, tallied her 18 kills in 30 attempts without an error. Her dazzling offensive performance carried Thomas More in the opening set and kept Transylvania’s defense off balance.

“Carlee is always a huge part of our offense,” Fessler said. “Teams key on Emily and Jenna Mummert, so we wanted to get Carlee some opportunities. The first time we played Transy, Emily really tore them apart (29 kills in that win), so we wanted to find other opportunities to score in this one.”

Unlike past seasons, when Thomas More could claim an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament by winning the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship, the Saints must earn an at-large berth this fall. Thomas More withdrew from the Presidents’ Athletic Conference after the 2017-18 academic year and is competing as an NCAA Division III independent this season.

Transylvania setter Hannah Talkers finished with 27 assists and 11 digs Friday night. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

That places a premium on winning as many regular-season matches as possible. Thomas More has already beaten five nationally ranked teams this season, and the victory at Calvin last week should keep the Saints near the top of the Great Lakes Region if they continue to win.

“We scheduled the toughest teams we could, and we’re embracing this year playing as an independent,” Spinney said. “We need to have a great body of work and be regionally ranked. We’ve done our job so far, but it’s not finished.”

A year ago, Thomas More finished with a 29-6 overall record. The Saints posted an 18-0 mark in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and also won the postseason tournament to secure the automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Notre Dame Academy graduate Hannah Talkers finished with 27 assists and 11 digs for Transylvania. Talkers, a junior setter, also added five kills. Jordan Horne led the Pioneers with 12 kills.

Despite the big win over Transylvania, Thomas More players and coaches had little time to celebrate. That’s because the Saints travel to Westerville, Ohio, for two matches on Saturday afternoon.

Thomas More plays Muskingum at 1 p.m., and the Saints meet host Otterbein at 3 p.m.


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