WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Keiser volleyball left everything on the court Tuesday night in the Student Life Center, taking No. 14 St. Thomas to five sets in a conference thriller. Despite rallying back from a two-set deficit, the Seahawks came up just short, 3-2, in their fourth five-set battle with the Bobcats since 2020.

St. Thomas took control early, using a balanced attack to claim the opening two frames, 25-20 and 25-19. Keiser kept each set competitive, with timely kills from Makenzi Bennett and Aubree Valcourt keeping the Seahawks within striking distance. Mallory Dills set the tone early with two service aces in the first set, while Faith Marquis anchored the defense with several diving saves to extend rallies.

Down 2-0, the Seahawks flipped the momentum in the third. After trailing 12-9 midway through the set, Keiser went on a surge behind kills from Cece Worsham, Isabella Steffel, and Bennett to tie things up. Worsham sparked the crowd with back-to-back kills before Bennett sealed the frame at 25-22 with her sixth kill of the set.

Keiser carried that energy into the fourth, where the front line dominated. The combination of Valcourt and Steffel frustrated the Bobcats at the net, while Dills' setting continued to fuel the attack. A service ace from Bennett pushed the Seahawks ahead 18-16, and a late 4-0 run — capped by an Abby Lester kill — secured the 25-20 win to even the match.

The decisive fifth set opened with both teams trading points, as Worsham and Bennett delivered early kills to keep Keiser within reach. However, St. Thomas found its rhythm late, stringing together a 5-1 run to take the set 15-9 and escape with the win.

Bennett powered the Seahawks with a season-high 17 kills on a .275 hitting percentage, adding eight digs and two service aces. Dills set a season-best mark with 50 assists while also picking up 10 digs for a double-double. Worsham matched the feat with 14 kills and 10 digs, while Valcourt tallied 13 kills and six blocks in the middle. Steffel chipped in nine kills and two blocks, and Marquis led the back line with a match-high 24 digs.

As a team, Keiser posted 61 kills, 57 assists, 65 digs, eight total blocks, and a .167 hitting percentage while going toe-to-toe with one of the conference's top teams.

• The Seahawks now sit 9-10 on the season and 4-6 in conference play
• Keiser played its fourth five-set match against St. Thomas since 2020
• The five-set match tonight marked the second of the season for the Seahawks
• Makenzi Bennett's 17 kills marked a new season high, her sixth double-digit kill match of the year
• Mallory Dills set a new season high, dishing out 50 assists
• Cece Worsham recorded her fifth double-double of the season
• Aubree Valcourt tied her season high of six total blocks
• The Seahawks totaled 61 kills, their highest team output of the year

Get the latest information on the team by following @keiservb on Instagram and @keiser_vb on X.
 
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