HOLLAND, MICH. - St. Thomas needed to come from way down to win its first national championship in volleyball.

After dropping the first two sets, the Tommies rallied for a 3-2 victory over Calvin College to win the NCAA Division III national volleyball title on Saturday.

It was the first national championship for any MIAC team in volleyball.

"Wow," St. Thomas coach Thanh Pham said. "Down two sets in that environment and being able to pull it out speaks volumes about these young ladies. They are fighters."

Kelly Foley, the MIAC Player of the Year, led the Tommies with 14 kills and seven blocks. Jill Greenfield also had 14 kills and a team-high 17 digs.

St. Thomas (40-1) dropped the first two sets of the match 13-25, 17-25 and hit below .200 in each. But the Tommies won the next three sets 25-18, 25-16, 15-9. It was their 35th consecutive victory.

Katie Maher and Sarah Kosbab had 24 assists apiece for the Tommies.

Emily Crowe led Calvin (33-3) with 14 kills. But the Knights -- whose campus is in nearby Grand Rapids, Mich. -- hit only .200 as a team despite a lot of support in a crowd of 3,517.

This is the most-recent national title for St. Thomas athletics since men's basketball in 2011.