St. Thomas, Reinhardt To Meet in Tournament Title Match

KINGSPORT, Tenn. - St. Thomas and Reinhardt each earned 3-0 victories Friday in Appalachian Athletic Conference Men's Volleyball Tournament in Kingsport, Tenn. St. Thomas opened the day with a 25-14, 26-24, 25-22 win over Warner (FL), then Reinhardt followed with a 25-19, 26-24, 25-22 sweep of Life.

With the wins, St. Thomas and Reinhardt advance to the championship match, which is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. Both teams are going for their second-ever AAC Tournament title with Reinhardt having won in 2024 and St. Thomas last year.

In the opener, St. Thomas separated early and never dropped its edge, finishing with 43 kills, 11 aces and a .318 team attack percentage. Warner totaled 28 kills, two aces, and hit .203 as a team. Kaelen Ingram led St. Thomas with 17 kills and 21.5 points, while Michael Marsans added 10 kills and 12.5 points. Warner was paced by Romone Rudolph, who recorded 10 kills and 15.0 points.

The first set turned quickly when St. Thomas used an early run built on multiple Marsans kills and a service ace from Milos Sipragic to move in front. Marsans finished the set-clinching point in a 25-14 decision. Warner pushed the second set to the wire, but Ingram produced several late kills as St. Thomas closed out a 26-24 win. In the third set, Rafael Obrusnik helped steady the finish with aces and key distribution on his way to 34 assists, and St. Thomas completed the sweep at 25-22.

The second match followed a similar script, though Life stayed within range deep into the final two sets. Reinhardt finished with 38 kills, eight aces and 33 digs, while Life posted 25 kills, four aces and 30 digs. Serano Keijl led Life with 12 kills and 13.5 points. Reinhardt got balanced production from Gabriel Gutierrez, who had 10 kills and 10.5 points, Jakub Aniolczyk, who added 10.0 points and seven kills, and Decklan Fongbemi, who contributed 8.5 points and six kills.

Reinhardt built its early advantage in the first set behind a Thomas Jefferson service ace and several timely kills, then closed the set 25-19 after a Life attack error. The second set was the tightest stretch of the evening. Life extended rallies and stayed level into the late points, but Aniolczyk delivered aces and late kills to help Reinhardt edge the set 26-24. In the third, Reinhardt maintained a narrow cushion before finishing the match 25-22 after a late Life attack error.

Taken together, the two matches formed a doubleheader-style day of AAC competition, with both winners showing control in key closing moments. St. Thomas answered Warner's second- and third-set pressure without allowing the match to extend, and Reinhardt did the same when Life threatened in each of the last two sets. 

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, April 16
Game 1 - No. 1 St. Thomas (22-4) def. No. 8 Carolina (1-20), 3-0 (box)
Game 2 - No. 2 Reinhardt (21-6) def. No. 7 Webber International (2-17), 3-0 (box)
Game 3 - No. 3 Life (15-10) def. No. 6 Truett McConnell (7-16), 3-0 (box)
Game 4 - No. 4 Warner (9-12) vs. No. 5 Bluefield (10-13), 3-1 (box)

Friday, April 17
Game 5 - No. 1 St. Thomas (23-4) def. No. 4 Warner (9-13), 3-0 (box)
Game 6 - No. 2 Reinhardt (22-6) def. No. 3 Life (15-11), 3-0 (box)

Saturday, April 18
Game 7 - Championship Game - No. 1 St. Thomas (23-4) vs. No. 2 Reinhardt (22-6), 1 pm