COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Outside hitters Emma White and Christina Kuras combined for 24 kills to lead the No. 18 Southwestern volleyball team past the University of St. Thomas Celts 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-20). 

White and Kuras had 12 kills each. Kuras broke out of a three-match stretch without reaching double-digit kills with one of the best performances of her early collegiate career, matching her career-high in kills with a career-best .391 hitting percentage. White finished just shy of .300, hitting .290 with her usual all-around contributions, totaling eight digs and two block assists. 

"The team and the staff were very pleased with the quality and production in attacking from Christina Kuras and Emma White at the outside hitter position today," Southwestern head volleyball coach Don Flora says. "They both made excellent decisions and stayed aggressive against a quality blocking team in St. Thomas." 

Riley Brantley and Jessica Kuras added eight kills each, with the latter hitting .444 and adding two block assists. Libero Ali Grona led Southwestern with 13 digs, and defensive specialist Geneva Nedrow added 11 as Southwestern limited St. Thomas to just 29 kills. 

"Today, we faced an intense and competitive St. Thomas program who gave us their best shot," Flora says. "Defensively, we did some nice things, and our serving kept good pressure on St. Thomas. This weekend shows that our progress and hard work continues to lead to playing better volleyball." 

Southwestern improves to 11-1 with a 2-1 conference record after the weekend. Next weekend, the Pirates will travel to Shreveport, Louisiana, for matches against Dallas, Austin College, Schreiner, and Centenary.