Thomas More volleyball extends home winning streak to 25 by defeating Cumberland (Tenn.) on Friday

By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

New season. Different conference. Same results. That best describes the Thomas More volleyball program’s transition to the NAIA this fall, and the Saints’ continued dominance when playing at home.

Given the fact Thomas More hasn’t lost at home in more than three years, Mid-South Conference volleyball teams are probably a bit concerned about visiting the Connor Convocation Center. And who can blame them?

The latest visitor to depart Crestview Hills with a loss is Cumberland (Tenn.), which dropped a 25-19, 25-21, 25-20 decision to Thomas More on Friday night. The Saints utilized a strong serving game and balanced offensive attack to improve to 10-4 overall, 5-1 in the Mid-South Conference.

Thomas More upped its home winning streak to 25 consecutive matches dating back to the 2016 season. The Saints haven’t lost at home since Sept. 21, 2016, when Hanover pulled out a five-set victory in the Connor Convocation Center.

Jenna Mummert hammered down 11 kills and attacked at a blistering .450 clip to lead Thomas More. She also finished with five blocks as the Saints prevailed in a challenging match against a solid Cumberland team.

“We’re finding that the Mid-South Conference is great competition, and I was really happy with how strong we came out and how well we played,” said co-interim head coach Katie Sullivan. “I thought our serving was great. We had a few errors, but we’ve been working in practice on aggressiveness with our serves. So we’re willing to miss a few because we know we have to serve tough to win.”

Thomas More hit .267 as a team and served up 11 aces, including four winners by Sara Crooker. The Saints limited Cumberland to a .148 hitting percentage and unleashed an offensive attack that included Emily Mohs (nine kills), Madison Krumpelman (eight kills) and Carlee Lambert (eight kills, .500 hitting percentage).

In addition, Alli Borders finished with seven kills and attacked at a .385 clip. Lizzie Schoenfeld (25 assists, seven digs) and Maddie Read (16 assists, two aces) directed the Thomas More offense, which hit .417 in the final set to pull away.

“I think we’re doing great offensively, and running with two setters allows us to have three hitters at all times,” Sullivan said. “Our hitters are a major strength and give us a lot of options. Mummert played great, and I think she and our setters are starting to click.

“There was an adjustment period after having Jenna (Fessler) at setter last year. They are finally connecting and we can see Mummert’s strength coming around.”

With the tightly contested second set tied at 20-all, Mummert and Mohs took over. Mummert terminated a ball off an assist from Schoenfeld to give Thomas More a 21-20 lead. After an attack error by Cumberland, Mohs slammed down three consecutive kills to lift the Saints a 25-21 victory.

Thomas More also remained in a first-place tie with Lindsey Wilson atop the conference standings. Lindsey Wilson — which is ranked No. 10 nationally in the NAIA poll — owns a 13-3 overall record and a 5-1 mark in the Mid-South Conference.

Mikayla Wickman led Cumberland (11-7 overall, 3-2 Mid-South Conference) with seven kills. The Phoenix hit .333 in the final set, but Thomas More refused to wilt and closed the frame with an 8-4 spurt to extend its home winning streak.

“We talk a lot about protecting our court, and we never want to lose here,” Sullivan said. “This is where we should have an advantage, and obviously we’ve taken care of it.”

Thomas More’s next match is Tuesday night, when Mid-South Conference foe Campbellsville visits the Connor Convocation Center at 7 p.m.

NKU SWEEPS YOUNGSTOWN STATE: Abby Kanakry finished with 10 kills and attacked at a torrid .667 clip as Northern Kentucky University opened Horizon League play Friday night with a 25-13, 25-10, 25-13 win over Youngstown State in Regents Hall.

NKU hit .412 as a team, marking the first time that the Norse have converted above .400 since Oct. 23, 2016, when the Norse attacked at a .430 clip against Wright State. Natalie Hardig finished with eight kills and hit .583, while Bailey Western added six kills and attacked at a .500 clip.

Laura Crawford added seven kills and hit .368 to go along with seven digs and four blocks. NKU improved to 8-5 overall, 1-0 in the Horizon League. Youngstown State is 6-8 overall, 0-1 in the Horizon League.

NKU plays host to Cleveland State at 4 p.m. Saturday in Regents Hall.

Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport