The University of St. Thomas-Houston Volleyball team is prepping for the SCAC Tournament this weekend. After reaching 20 wins for their first time competing in the SCAC, the Celts' season has reached a pinnacle as they open against Colorado College in quarterfinal No. 2.

Threats on Both Sides of the Net

As the season continued, the Celts found themselves developing into a team that understands both offense and defense. Nobody knows that better than senior Paige Havel, who has picked up both SCAC offensive and defensive Player of the Week honors, the only student athlete to do so. Havel, on top of recording a team-high 341.5 total points, has also notched 139 total blocks which have caused opponents to take note of her versatile playmaking ability. Her impressive statistics rank her second in blocks per set for the entire NCAA Division III.  In addition, freshman Audrey Cataline has made an immediate impact. Cataline leads the team in kills posting 232 in the season She also leads the entire SCAC with .60 service aces per set. As a team, services has been a strength for the Celts as they have scored 206 points off that stat. They also lead the league in limiting opponents to just a .113 hitting percentage.

Marquee Wins to Put Opponents On Notice

The St. Thomas volleyball season has earned some key victories to get them to this point. In the midst of a ten-game win streak at the beginning of the season, the Celts upset nationally ranked powerhouse Mary Hardin Baylor, then qualified for the conference tournament by upsetting higher seeds, Southwestern University and Austin College. When all was said and done, the Celts finished with seven SCAC victories, their highest since joining the league. Furthermore, now that St. Thomas is officially a member of NCAA Division III, an SCAC Tournament victory would instantly qualify them for the national tournament. Should Volleyball win, they will be among the first Celt teams to make an NCAA tournament.

“Lots of excitement coming into this conference tournament,” Head Coach Keanne Burt ‘10 added. “We have shown some major strides and have done well against some tough opponents. We have these next couple of days to watch film and make adjustments and come into this weekend stronger than ever.”

Volleyball begins the SCAC tournament run in Colorado Springs this Friday at 2 p.m. against Colorado College. Follow @ustathletics for all updates and the SCAC Tournament Website for more information.