By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
Forget the fact Thomas More extended its home winning streak to 29 with a 25-21, 25-13, 33-31 triumph over Life (Ga.) on Friday night. Given the Saints haven’t lost in Crestview Hills in more than three years, home victories have become part of the volleyball program’s culture.
The most significant part of their latest victory in the Connor Convocation Center? First of all, Thomas More avenged a five-set loss at Life that occurred on Sept. 20. But most importantly, the Saints remained in control of their Mid-South Conference destiny with the win.
Those two teams will square off on Nov. 7 in the Connor Convocation Center, quite possibly in a winner-take-all contest for the Mid-South Conference regular-season title.
But Thomas More needed to first defeat Life, which knocked off Lindsey Wilson on the road earlier this season. The Running Eagles (17-8 overall, 7-5 Mid-South Conference) feature an assortment of talented attackers, but the Saints limited the visitors to a .059 hitting percentage to avenge the earlier loss at Life.
“We passed and served much better than the first time we played,” said Thomas More co-interim head coach Katie Sullivan. “We were serving more aggressively, which kept them out of system more than the first time. We knew their tendencies better than before, and we were able to take hitters out and focus on blocking.”
Thomas More’s Jenna Mummert effectively defended the net, finishing with eight blocks. Mummert also hammered down 15 kills and attacked at a .407 clip. Her offense was especially important as sophomore outside hitter Emily Mohs — Thomas More’s leading attacker this season — sat out while under the concussion protocol.
“I know we can always depend on Jenna, and she’s a big force in the middle,” Sullivan said. “People really struggle to block her, so when she’s on, there’s really no stopping her.”
Mummert keyed a huge rally in the third set, when Thomas More rallied from a 16-9 deficit and eventually pulled out a wild 33-31 win to cap the sweep. The senior from Batavia, Ohio, smashed down four kills and added a crucial block that ignited the spurt by the Saints.
Madison Krumpelman added 13 kills — including two consecutive terminations to end the match off assists from Maddie Read — and hit .281. Sawyer Lorentz finished with nine kills, while Carlee Lambert chipped in seven kills.
Lizzie Schoenfeld dished out 23 assists and Read added 21 helpers as Thomas More hit .220 as a team. The Saints finished with an 84-66 edge in digs, with Jess Ginn scooping up 27 balls to lead the defense. Sara Crooker collected 17 digs, while Krumpelman chipped in 14 digs.
Alli Borders notched six kills and collected six blocks for Thomas More, which hasn’t lost at home since Sept. 21, 2016, when Hanover pulled out a five-set victory in the Connor Convocation Center.
Mummert, who has been an integral part of the current home winning streak, credited the support of the Thomas More fans.
“Thomas More is a special place, and whenever we can show off for our home fans, why not? Because we have such a great following,” said Mummert, who recently joined Thomas More’s 1,000-kills club. “It’s a privilege to play the game we love, the game I love, in front of our fans that give us great support.”
Zykeria Allen led Life with nine kills, and teammate Lena Pucnik added seven kills.
Thomas More plays host to the Cumberlands (Ky.) at 2 p.m. Saturday, when the Saints can clinch their eighth consecutive 20-win season. They then hit the road for Mid-South Conference matches at Cumberland (Tenn.) on Nov. 1 and Campbellsville on Nov. 6, before returning home for the showdown against Lindsey Wilson in the regular-season finale on Nov. 7.
The Mid-South Conference Tournament will be held Nov. 14-16 at Bowling Green, Ky.
Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport
