Box Score BABSON PARK, Fla. - On Friday, Webber International University would play host to St. Thomas University, the #21 ranked NAIA team in the country and the preseason favorite to win the Sun Conference. After an intense battle, the Warriors (18-1, 8-0) would defeat the Bobcats (17-2, 6-2) in a five set thriller 25-27, 23-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-9. Nikki McDaniel carried the offense for the Warriors, producing a season high 30 kills to go along with 13 digs. Tessa Colden added 12 kills and 17 digs for a double-double of her own, and Jade Carline chipped in 8 kills. Carlee Baxter ran the offense with a match high 57 assists, and Michelle Calderon anchored the defense with a season best 31 digs.

Set one would see St. Thomas live up to their billing early on, taking a 6-2 lead and not allowing the Warriors to earn more than one point back at a time. Showing the fight they have all year, Webber stringed together a small run in the middle of the set to tie things up, and kept it tight all the way to the end. After putting themselves up 25-24, the Bobcats would use a kill and two Kate blocks to wrap up set one. McDaniel had 5 kills in the set, and Calderon had 9 digs.

In the second, the Bobcats jumped out to an early 10-4 lead thanks to their strong block and serving. They would continue to widen the gap as the match went on, eventually taking a 16-8 lead. The Warriors would then dig deep and go on a 19-2 run to close the gap to 17-18. Both teams showed their success this year has been well earned, with neither side allowing more than a one point lead later. It wasn't until 22-22 that St. Thomas would use a 3-1 run to close things out and take a 2-0 set lead. 

Coming back from intermission, set three would once again see the top two teams in the Sun Conference battle. Neither team claimed more than a two point lead early one . The Bobcats held the lead early, until Webber tied it 10-10 and from there went on a 5-2 run to take a three point lead. St. Thomas continued to battle, eventually tying things at 18-18. The Warriors then used a final 7-2 push to take the third set, ending it with a huge block from McDaniel and Brianna Baez. McDaniel had 7 kills in the set, While Katie Schueman had 5 of her own. 

Set four saw the Warriors jump out early on the Bobcats with a 9-4 lead. Despite the early lead, St. Thomas kept their poise and battle back to tie the set at 12-12. From here, the Warriors would use a small 5-2 run to retake the advantage at 17-14, and continued to trade points down the stretch, never truly allowing the Bobcats within more than three points. A Carline kill would end the set, while also forcing the decisive 5th set. McDaniel had 8 kills in the set, and Colden added 5 kills.

The fifth set would be a hard fought affair from the beginning. The Warriors took a 3-1 lead very early on, only for the Bobcats to tie things at 4-4. Webber would then go on a 4-3 run to earn a 8-7 advantage at the side switch. They would hold the lead e rest of the way, using a 7-2 run to seal the victory, capped off by an emphatic match point kill by Baez. McDaniel had 4 kills in the set, and Baez had 2 kills.

St. Thomas was led by Whitney Battoe with 13 kills and Shanotta Bawek with 12. Dana Nowaczyk had 43 assists, and also added 20 digs. Haley Bannister anchored their defense with 24 digs, and Kadeeja Griffin had 4.0 blocks.

The Warriors return to action today at noon as they host the Florida Memorial University Lions. First serve is set for 12:00 PM Eastern Time. Thitsas game will be available via Live Video and Live Stats at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/webber/ Go Warriors!!!