CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – The top-seeded Thomas More College Saints made their ranking stand up Saturday as they defeated Thiel College, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 26-24), to claim the 2012 Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship.

The Tomcats ended their best season in over 20 years with a 23-8 record. Their .741 winning percentage is the team's best since 1983 (.778), and the second-best total in the school's history. The Saints improved to 26-5 with the win and clinched the PAC's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.

Senior Alyssa Chine (North Jackson, Ohio/Jackson Milton) topped off her senior season with her ninth double-double, firing a team-high 10 kills to go along with 11 digs. Kelly Barzak (Warren, Ohio/Howland) added seven kills while Chelsea Meister (Liberty Center, Ohio/Liberty Center) dished out 14 assists and added 11 digs.
Sophomore Lauren Downs (Mentor, OH/Mentor HS) registered 18 digs to lead the Thiel defense, while Chine and Meister each had three service aces.

For this senior class, it marks the third time in four seasons that they have come up just short of the PAC Championship - all three times falling to Thomas More. However, it doesn't change the fact that the group ushered in a new era of Tomcat women's volleyball, an era that saw the women establish a winning culture and a continued emphasis on doing things the right way.

This senior class ends their careers with 87 wins, the third most in any 4-year stretch in Thiel history.