Chargers Push St. Thomas but Fall in Straight Sets
The Crandall Chargers showed fight on home court but came up short in a straight-sets loss (25–21, 25–23, 25–22) to St. Thomas on Saturday afternoon at Crandall University.
Each set was tightly contested, with Crandall staying within striking distance throughout the match and forcing long rallies against a St. Thomas squad that entered the contest with a strong record. The Chargers matched St. Thomas point-for-point for extended stretches, particularly in the opening two sets, but were unable to convert late opportunities.
Francois Benoit led Crandall with a team-high eight kills and added four service aces, applying consistent pressure from the service line. Shane Huggard followed with seven kills and seven digs, while Payton Sanipass contributed eight kills and three digs in a balanced offensive effort. Noah MacDonald was efficient in the middle, finishing with three kills on .375 hitting and adding a block.
Setter Mico Guiao guided the offense with 21 assists, while Joel Keats anchored the back row with a team-high eight digs. At the net, Crandall recorded 10 block assists, continuing to challenge St. Thomas' attackers throughout the match.
Despite being out-hit overall, Crandall remained competitive in each set and showed strong defensive effort and improved execution as the match progressed.
The Chargers will look to build on their close-set performances and continue refining late-set execution as they prepare for their next matchup.