NKyTribune staff
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Kasia Niderla recorded 12 kills and four blocks as Lindsey Wilson captured the Mid-South Conference Tournament championship with a 25-11, 25-20, 27-25 win over Thomas More on Saturday night.
Niderla added two service aces for Lindsey Wilson, which is ranked No. 10 nationally in the NAIA poll. The Blue Raiders (29-5) hit .265, finished with a 60-43 advantage in digs and defeated Thomas More for the third time this season.
A week ago, Lindsey Wilson knocked off Thomas More in Crestview Hills to win the Mid-South Conference regular-season title.
Emily Mohs finished with 12 kills and three blocks against Lindsey Wilson. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Alexis Smith added 10 kills for Lindsey Wilson, which secured the Mid-South Conference’s automatic berth to the NAIA nationals with the win.
Thomas More, which posted a 33-4 record last season while competing at the NCAA Division III level, could receive a berth in the upcoming NAIA nationals. The NAIA Tournament field is scheduled to be announced on Monday.
The NAIA Tournament consists of a 44-team field. Twenty-four teams will compete in 12 opening-round matches played on campus sites nationwide on Nov. 23. The top 20 seeds (including the final site host) receive an opening-round bye.
Opening-round winners will join the top 20 at the final site for a 32-team pool play tournament at Sioux City, Iowa, scheduled for Dec. 3-7.
THOMAS MORE FOOTBALL DEFEATS PIKEVILLE: Justin Post completed 32 passes in 47 attempts for 293 yards and three touchdowns to lead Thomas More to a 34-21 win over Pikeville in the season finale Saturday.
Post, a senior making his final appearance at BB&T Field, found Da’marco Canty for a pair of scoring passes in the first half. He also tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Johnny McNally that gave Thomas More a 21-14 lead in the third quarter.
Dillon Powell’s 1-yard scoring run extended the Thomas More advantage to 28-14 early in the fourth quarter. Powell sealed the victory by rushing for an 11-yard touchdown with 1:40 remaining in the game.
Thomas More outgained Pikeville by a 390-310 margin in total yards. Canty finished with seven receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns for Thomas More, which finished with a 4-7 overall record. The Saints posted a 2-5 mark in the Mid-South Conference Bluegrass Division.
Pikeville dropped to 5-5 overall, 4-3 in the Mid-South Conference Bluegrass Division.
THOMAS MORE 34, PIKEVILLE 21
Pikeville……..….0 14 0 7 21
Thomas More… 7 7 7 13 34
TMU-Da’marco Canty 13 yd pass from Justin Post (Alex Barnhart kick)
PIKE-Damian Sutton 21 yd pass from Xavier Malone (W. Chandler kick)
TMU-Da’marco Canty 9 yd pass from Justin Post (Alex Barnhart kick)
PIKE-Robert Sims III 14 yd pass from Xavier Malone (W. Chandler kick)
TMU-Johnny McNally 17 yd pass from Justin Post (Alex Barnhart kick)
TMU-Dillon Powell 1 yd run (Alex Barnhart kick)
PIKE-Johran Broadnax 53 yd fumble recovery (W. Chandler kick)
TMU-Dillon Powell 11 yd run (Alex Barnhart kick failed)
RECORDS: Thomas More 4-7, 2-5 MSC; Pikeville 5-5, 4-3 MSC.
BARTH LEADS TMU WOMEN: Zoie Barth scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Thomas More women’s basketball team to an 85-50 victory over Michigan-Dearborn on Saturday in a battle of nationally ranked squads.
Emily Schultz finished with 15 points for Thomas More, which is ranked No. 21 in the NAIA poll. The unbeaten Saints (4-0) outscored the 22nd-ranked Wolverines (4-2) by a 21-7 margin in points off turnovers and 15-2 on second-chance points.
Courtney Hurst added 14 points and seven rebounds for Thomas More, which has won 37 consecutive games. The Saints finished 33-0 last season en route to the NCAA Division III national championship.
(Information compiled from Thomas More and staff reports)
