The defending national champion St. Thomas volleyball team’s season came to an end after a 3-1 upset at the hands of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the NCAA regional championship game on Saturday at Schoenecker Arena.

The No. 19-ranked Pointers (34-4) advance to the Elite Eight tournament starting Thursday in Holland, Mich.

Coach Thanh Pham said Stevens Point’s level of play was tough for the Tommies (30-3) to overcome.

“I thought we played hard,” Pham said. “Stevens Point just had an answer every time we started making a run … I give them a lot of credit; they fought extremely hard, and they should be very proud of their win.”

Outside hitter Nicole Potts started the No. 4-ranked Tommies off on the right foot, tooling the Pointers’ block for a 1-0 set-one lead. After battling back and forth to pull away, opposite hitter Sara Atkinson slaughtered an overpassed ball and snatched the 7-6 advantage over the Pointers. The Tommies maintained their first-set lead, ending with middle blocker Paige Brimeyer’s solid block for the 25-19 set-one victory. Brimeyer had six kills on the night.

Potts said throughout her four seasons with the Tommies, Pham has encouraged the women to value the team’s bond.

“Thanh always tells us, ‘You can’t change the world with volleyball.’ That’s my takeaway, as much as I wish I could,” Potts said. “I’m really going to miss the family … we have such a strong family—all 23 of us and the coaches. It’s one thing you can’t find anywhere else.”

Even with the Tommies up a set, the Pointers came out ready to fight in the second. Middle blocker Kelly Foley owned the Pointers’ defense, slicing through a triple block to trail behind 3-2. Outside hitter Jill Greenfield pushed St. Thomas forward when she hammered a kill to cut the Tommies’ deficit to 11-6. Stevens Point setter Alexis Hartman stunted the Tommie defense with a setter dump to widen the score 19-12 in the Pointers’ favor. Outside hitter Sarah Wildish locked in set two for the Pointers with her ace at 23-12. Set two resulted in a 25-14 Pointer victory.

For Atkinson, the season was one to remember.

“It was a great season; we’ve worked so hard and we’ve come so far,” Atkinson said. “The friendships that we’ve made over the year and over the three years that we’ve had these seniors are so incredible, and the growth from last year alone is so amazing. I’m so proud of how hard we worked.”

Heading into set three neck-and-neck, the Pointers got an early lead. Even with an Atkinson kill down the line, the Pointers left the Tommies in the dust, leading 10-5. Foley pulled a 10-foot-line kill out of her arsenal to keep the Tommies just one point behind, 11-10. Even with Foley slamming a kill on an open net to close the gap 21-22, the Pointers snatched set three 25-21.

Potts said the team fought in many tough games this season.

“Not many times did we ever stop or not want it,” Potts said. “This team has more heart than any other team I think I’ve ever played on.”

With one last chance, the Tommies took the court for set four, down two sets to one. The Pointers kept rolling forward, brushing off Greenfield’s crafty tip down the line to lead 4-3. Stevens Point middle blocker Emma Brunkhorst responded, pummeling a kill within the 10-foot-line to surge ahead 14-6. Hartman pumped up the crowd when she dumped the ball, the team within reach of the match victory at 22-17. Foley’s kill to make the score 24-19 wasn’t enough for the Tommies. The Pointers clinched set four 25-19.

St. Thomas graduates five seniors, all of whom played a role in the team’s 2012 NCAA national championship title.

For Pham, saying goodbye to the seniors is a bittersweet experience.

“As juniors, they led us to a national championship. As seniors, they led us to a 30-3 record,” Pham said. “We’re very proud of our seniors. It’s hard to think of our program without them, but their legacy will carry on.”

Sean Crotty can be reached at crot0230@stthomas.edu.