University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, October 19
Brookings, S.D. / Frost Arena
7:00 p.m. Central
at
South Dakota State
Photo by: Kylie Macziewski
Volleyball back on road to face Jackrabbits, Mavericks
10/18/2023 1:28:00 PM | Volleyball
St. Thomas aims for first road wins of season Thursday at SDSU and Saturday at Omaha
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A three-match road trip awaits St. Thomas volleyball, beginning with a weekend series Oct. 19 and 21 at South Dakota State in Brookings, S.D., and Omaha in Omaha, Neb.
The Tommies open the road trip at 7 p.m. Thursday against the Jackrabbits in Frost Arena before a 5 p.m. start Saturday night against the Mavericks in Baxter Arena. The Jackrabbits currently rank tied for sixth while the Mavericks enter the week in sole possession of first place in the Summit League standings.
Bouncing Out of Schoenecker
St. Thomas played four of the last five matches at Schoenecker Arena, closing the stretch with a 3-0 loss (17-25, 20-25, 22-25) Tuesday, Oct. 17 to Kansas City. The Roos improved to 16-4 overall and 7-1 in Summit League play after the first meeting between the two programs this season.
The match started with back-and-forth points until the Tommies took the lead 7-5. Kansas City would then go on a 6-0 run to take the lead 11-7. The Tommies went on their own run for three straight points with the help of a kill from Rudzitis. The Kangaroos went on a 7-2 run to finish out the set.
Senior hitter Ellie Dammann and Rudzitis helped the Tommies, both with a kill, to start the second set with an 8-1 lead to force a UMKC timeout. The Tommies kept a strong 11-2 lead before the Roos fought for a 5-0 run to pull within four. The Tommies continued to hold the lead until another strong Roos run, 9-3, tied the match at 18 apiece and a run of 6-1 gave UMKC the second set win.
With six tied scores before 8-8, a kill by freshmen Ellie Gustafson and Miriam Unongo, as well as three by Mattila, kept the Tommies and Roos tight. Another kill by Unongo kick started a 3-0 run for the Tommies and an 11-8 lead. The score was again tied after Kansas City went on their own 3-0 run for a 12-12 score. The Tommies were able to keep the lead until the Roos made their final push, scoring six of the final nine points, to secure the sweep.
Scouting South Dakota State
South Dakota State holds a 4-16 record overall and 2-6 record in the Summit League, falling in six of seven league matches since taking a 3-0 win over St. Thomas on Sept. 21 in St. Paul. SDSU most recently fell during a reverse sweep (25-19, 26-24, 23-25, 14-25, 10-15) at South Dakota on Tuesday, Oct. 17.
The Jackrabbits are third in the Summit League with 11.5 assists per set, 14.8 digs per set, and 12.4 kills per set, led by sophomore outside hitter Katie Van Egdom who is second in the league with 3.48 kills per set and freshman Sylvie Zgonc who is third in the league with 3.46 kills per set. Freshman outside hitter Stella Winterfeld is third in the conference with 3.93 digs per set, trailing St. Thomas sophomore libero Ella Voegele with 4.20 digs per set.
Scouting Omaha
Omaha enters the week first in the Summit League standings with an 8-1 mark in league play and a 9-10 record overall. After starting the season with nine straight losses, the Mavericks have won eight straight including a 3-1 win (30-28, 24-26, 25-22, 25-22) at Oral Roberts on Tuesday, Oct. 17 in Tulsa, Okla.
The Mavericks' lone loss of the Summit League schedule came to Kansas City, a 3-2 loss in Omaha. Freshman middle blocker Emily Huss is sixth in the Summit League with 1.05 blocks per set followed closely by senior middle blocker McKenna Ruch in seventh with 1.00 block per set.
Set Me Up
Freshman setter Morgan Kealy reached 500 assists on the season Tuesday against Kansas City. She entered the night with 497 and ranks sixth in the Summit League with 7.54 assists per set and 505 total assists. Kealy is also second on the Tommies and 17th in the league with 2.57 digs per set.
Kealy has totaled at least 40 assists in three matches this season, which rank second, third and fourth for most single-match assists during the St. Thomas Division I era.
We'll Take Two Double-Doubles
Gustafson and Kealy both came away with double-doubles during the 3-2 win over North Dakota State. It's the second time two Tommies have recorded a double-double during the same match this season.
Gustafson came away with 15 digs and 13 kills for her second career double-double. She has now topped double-digit kills in five of the last six matches, including 13 during three of the last four.
Kealy finished with 18 digs and 15 assists against NDSU, which stands as her eighth double-double of the season and second of the month.
Can You Dig It?
Voegele has been one of the best when it comes to digs in the Summit League, entering the week second in the conference with 4.20 digs per set. She set the St. Thomas DI record with 7.67 digs per set after totaling 23 digs in three sets against South Dakota State on Sept. 21.
Two Time All-Tournament Team
Sophomore Ella Voegele ended the Tommie Volleyball tournament season with her second all-tournament team selection in Green Bay this past weekend. Voegele led the Purple in digs for the ninth time this season, adding 11 on Friday. She ended the tournament recording 21 digs in just the two Capital Credit Union Classic matches alone.
A Career-High Kind of Day
The Sept. 9 five-set, comeback victory over Northern Illinois was powered by career high offensive stats from several Tommies. Gustafson led the Tommies with 18 kills, five more than her previous career high set during the season opener at UIC, and hit a career best .368.
Sophomore Kaitlynn Peterson also topped her previous career high in kills by five, finishing Saturday's match with 17. She added career bests with 18 points, eight digs, and one assist.
Sophomore Megan Wetter opened the tournament with a career high 12 kills in the win over Evansville before posting 16 against Northern Illinois. She tacked on one block and tied the St. Thomas NCAA Division I single-match record with five service aces to finish with 21.5 points against Northern Illinois.
Freshman Morgan Kealy accounted for 46 of the Tommies 60 assists against NIU, setting a new career best and topping her own mark for the second most assists in a single match for the Purple in the DI era. She recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 12 digs, one shy of junior Lauren Galvin's team high from the 2022 season.
Beginning Another Decade
Head Coach Thanh Pham, who will coach his 650th match with the Tommies this season, enters his 21st season leading the program. His tenure is the longest among the nine Summit League head coaches at their respective schools. Pham coached his 650th match with the program on Friday, Sept. 29, a road match at North Dakota.
The Staff's All Back
All four members of the Tommie Volleyball coaching staff return for the 2023 season. Joining Pham during the previous two seasons since joining NCAA Division I are assistant coaches Joy Tietz and David Ganser. In his second season with the program is assistant coach Kevin Rivas. Also in her second season is director of operations Malissa LeClaire.
Summit League Preseason Poll
The Tommies enter the season ranked eighth as the 2023 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll was released Wednesday, August 23. St. Thomas garnered 16 points to finish ahead of Oral Roberts in the poll.
Reigning Summit League regular season and tournament champion South Dakota was voted to finish first with 61 points and six first-place votes. North Dakota State followed in second with 54 points and two first-place votes while Omaha rounded out the top three spots with 53 points and the final first-place vote.
Keep an Eye Out
Junior outside hitter Lauren Galvin and sophomore middle blocker Emma Goerger were selected as the team's Players to Watch for 2023. Galvin led the Tommies and ranked 10th in the league with 3.12 kills per set and led the team and was 11th in the Summit with 3.49 points per set. Goerger led the Tommies with 0.97 blocks per set and followed Galvin with 2.67 points per set.
Nice to Meet You
Among the 11 non-conference opponents, the Tommies faced nine for the first time in program history. The only familiar opponents during the non-conference schedule are Montana State and Central Michigan. The Purple beat the Bobcats in five sets during the 2022 season before taking a 3-1 loss Aug. 31 to open the Tommie Invitational. St. Thomas also played Central Michigan in 2022, a 3-1 loss that was avenged with a 3-0 win on Sept. 14, 2023 in Green Bay, Wis.
The Youth Movement Continues
The 20-member Tommie squad is comprised of nine sophomores and five freshmen, to go along with two seniors and four juniors. St. Thomas is the only program in the country with a true sophomore class of at least nine student-athletes and is one of two to have a true sophomore, junior, or senior class of at least nine, joining UT Chattanooga who has a class of nine true juniors.
St. Thomas has seven new student-athletes on its roster this season: Bradley transfer and outside hitter Kaitlynn Peterson (Lakeville, Minn.), UNC Greensboro transfer and defensive specialist Ella Voegele (Plymouth, Minn.), freshman right side Emily Clausen (Waukesha, Wis.), freshman outside hitter Ellie Gustafson (Monticello, Wis.), freshman setter Morgan Kealy (River Falls, Wis.), freshman middle blocker Addison Schmotzer (Madison, Wis.), and freshman outside hitter Miriam Unongo (Minneapolis, Minn.).
Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament
The Tommies hosted their first tournament, the Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament, as an NCAA Division I program. St. Thomas went 1-2 during the tournament, grabbing a 3-1 win over California Baptist and taking losses of 3-1 to Milwaukee and Montana State.
Summit League Network
Beginning with the 2023 season, all home Tommie Volleyball matches, and all Summit League matches will be streamed exclusively on the Summit League Network, in partnership with Midco Sports. A subscription-based network, viewers can access all St. Thomas athletics events HERE.
Looking at the Yearbook
Reflecting on 2022, the Tommies fielded one of the youngest teams across all of NCAA Division I. Last year's squad included just one senior and three juniors with the youth of sophomores and freshmen including 16 student-athletes.
The Toms improved one victory over their 2021 season total as their second fall of Division I play, but the Purple continue to improve and compete at a high level. They picked up nonconference wins at 14-win Montana State and 18-win Saint Louis and swept Western Illinois in conference play. Both wins against Western Illinois came in straight sets.
All-Freshman Team: Part Two
Emma Goerger and Tezra Rudzitis followed in the footsteps of junior Lauren Galvin as selections to the seven-player Summit League All-Freshman Team last season. Goerger was one of four Toms to play in all 30 matches and ranked ninth in the league with 0.97 blocks per set and 24th with 2.67 points per set. She had 101 total blocks and 195 total kills. Rudzitis played in 28 matches with 21 starts and was second for St. Thomas with 2.07 kills per set (190 total kills).
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Volleyball, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @tommievball
Join Us
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommies' 2023 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
The Tommies open the road trip at 7 p.m. Thursday against the Jackrabbits in Frost Arena before a 5 p.m. start Saturday night against the Mavericks in Baxter Arena. The Jackrabbits currently rank tied for sixth while the Mavericks enter the week in sole possession of first place in the Summit League standings.
Bouncing Out of Schoenecker
St. Thomas played four of the last five matches at Schoenecker Arena, closing the stretch with a 3-0 loss (17-25, 20-25, 22-25) Tuesday, Oct. 17 to Kansas City. The Roos improved to 16-4 overall and 7-1 in Summit League play after the first meeting between the two programs this season.
The match started with back-and-forth points until the Tommies took the lead 7-5. Kansas City would then go on a 6-0 run to take the lead 11-7. The Tommies went on their own run for three straight points with the help of a kill from Rudzitis. The Kangaroos went on a 7-2 run to finish out the set.
Senior hitter Ellie Dammann and Rudzitis helped the Tommies, both with a kill, to start the second set with an 8-1 lead to force a UMKC timeout. The Tommies kept a strong 11-2 lead before the Roos fought for a 5-0 run to pull within four. The Tommies continued to hold the lead until another strong Roos run, 9-3, tied the match at 18 apiece and a run of 6-1 gave UMKC the second set win.
With six tied scores before 8-8, a kill by freshmen Ellie Gustafson and Miriam Unongo, as well as three by Mattila, kept the Tommies and Roos tight. Another kill by Unongo kick started a 3-0 run for the Tommies and an 11-8 lead. The score was again tied after Kansas City went on their own 3-0 run for a 12-12 score. The Tommies were able to keep the lead until the Roos made their final push, scoring six of the final nine points, to secure the sweep.
Scouting South Dakota State
South Dakota State holds a 4-16 record overall and 2-6 record in the Summit League, falling in six of seven league matches since taking a 3-0 win over St. Thomas on Sept. 21 in St. Paul. SDSU most recently fell during a reverse sweep (25-19, 26-24, 23-25, 14-25, 10-15) at South Dakota on Tuesday, Oct. 17.
The Jackrabbits are third in the Summit League with 11.5 assists per set, 14.8 digs per set, and 12.4 kills per set, led by sophomore outside hitter Katie Van Egdom who is second in the league with 3.48 kills per set and freshman Sylvie Zgonc who is third in the league with 3.46 kills per set. Freshman outside hitter Stella Winterfeld is third in the conference with 3.93 digs per set, trailing St. Thomas sophomore libero Ella Voegele with 4.20 digs per set.
Scouting Omaha
Omaha enters the week first in the Summit League standings with an 8-1 mark in league play and a 9-10 record overall. After starting the season with nine straight losses, the Mavericks have won eight straight including a 3-1 win (30-28, 24-26, 25-22, 25-22) at Oral Roberts on Tuesday, Oct. 17 in Tulsa, Okla.
The Mavericks' lone loss of the Summit League schedule came to Kansas City, a 3-2 loss in Omaha. Freshman middle blocker Emily Huss is sixth in the Summit League with 1.05 blocks per set followed closely by senior middle blocker McKenna Ruch in seventh with 1.00 block per set.
Set Me Up
Freshman setter Morgan Kealy reached 500 assists on the season Tuesday against Kansas City. She entered the night with 497 and ranks sixth in the Summit League with 7.54 assists per set and 505 total assists. Kealy is also second on the Tommies and 17th in the league with 2.57 digs per set.
Kealy has totaled at least 40 assists in three matches this season, which rank second, third and fourth for most single-match assists during the St. Thomas Division I era.
We'll Take Two Double-Doubles
Gustafson and Kealy both came away with double-doubles during the 3-2 win over North Dakota State. It's the second time two Tommies have recorded a double-double during the same match this season.
Gustafson came away with 15 digs and 13 kills for her second career double-double. She has now topped double-digit kills in five of the last six matches, including 13 during three of the last four.
Kealy finished with 18 digs and 15 assists against NDSU, which stands as her eighth double-double of the season and second of the month.
Can You Dig It?
Voegele has been one of the best when it comes to digs in the Summit League, entering the week second in the conference with 4.20 digs per set. She set the St. Thomas DI record with 7.67 digs per set after totaling 23 digs in three sets against South Dakota State on Sept. 21.
Two Time All-Tournament Team
Sophomore Ella Voegele ended the Tommie Volleyball tournament season with her second all-tournament team selection in Green Bay this past weekend. Voegele led the Purple in digs for the ninth time this season, adding 11 on Friday. She ended the tournament recording 21 digs in just the two Capital Credit Union Classic matches alone.
A Career-High Kind of Day
The Sept. 9 five-set, comeback victory over Northern Illinois was powered by career high offensive stats from several Tommies. Gustafson led the Tommies with 18 kills, five more than her previous career high set during the season opener at UIC, and hit a career best .368.
Sophomore Kaitlynn Peterson also topped her previous career high in kills by five, finishing Saturday's match with 17. She added career bests with 18 points, eight digs, and one assist.
Sophomore Megan Wetter opened the tournament with a career high 12 kills in the win over Evansville before posting 16 against Northern Illinois. She tacked on one block and tied the St. Thomas NCAA Division I single-match record with five service aces to finish with 21.5 points against Northern Illinois.
Freshman Morgan Kealy accounted for 46 of the Tommies 60 assists against NIU, setting a new career best and topping her own mark for the second most assists in a single match for the Purple in the DI era. She recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 12 digs, one shy of junior Lauren Galvin's team high from the 2022 season.
Beginning Another Decade
Head Coach Thanh Pham, who will coach his 650th match with the Tommies this season, enters his 21st season leading the program. His tenure is the longest among the nine Summit League head coaches at their respective schools. Pham coached his 650th match with the program on Friday, Sept. 29, a road match at North Dakota.
The Staff's All Back
All four members of the Tommie Volleyball coaching staff return for the 2023 season. Joining Pham during the previous two seasons since joining NCAA Division I are assistant coaches Joy Tietz and David Ganser. In his second season with the program is assistant coach Kevin Rivas. Also in her second season is director of operations Malissa LeClaire.
Summit League Preseason Poll
The Tommies enter the season ranked eighth as the 2023 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll was released Wednesday, August 23. St. Thomas garnered 16 points to finish ahead of Oral Roberts in the poll.
Reigning Summit League regular season and tournament champion South Dakota was voted to finish first with 61 points and six first-place votes. North Dakota State followed in second with 54 points and two first-place votes while Omaha rounded out the top three spots with 53 points and the final first-place vote.
Keep an Eye Out
Junior outside hitter Lauren Galvin and sophomore middle blocker Emma Goerger were selected as the team's Players to Watch for 2023. Galvin led the Tommies and ranked 10th in the league with 3.12 kills per set and led the team and was 11th in the Summit with 3.49 points per set. Goerger led the Tommies with 0.97 blocks per set and followed Galvin with 2.67 points per set.
Nice to Meet You
Among the 11 non-conference opponents, the Tommies faced nine for the first time in program history. The only familiar opponents during the non-conference schedule are Montana State and Central Michigan. The Purple beat the Bobcats in five sets during the 2022 season before taking a 3-1 loss Aug. 31 to open the Tommie Invitational. St. Thomas also played Central Michigan in 2022, a 3-1 loss that was avenged with a 3-0 win on Sept. 14, 2023 in Green Bay, Wis.
The Youth Movement Continues
The 20-member Tommie squad is comprised of nine sophomores and five freshmen, to go along with two seniors and four juniors. St. Thomas is the only program in the country with a true sophomore class of at least nine student-athletes and is one of two to have a true sophomore, junior, or senior class of at least nine, joining UT Chattanooga who has a class of nine true juniors.
St. Thomas has seven new student-athletes on its roster this season: Bradley transfer and outside hitter Kaitlynn Peterson (Lakeville, Minn.), UNC Greensboro transfer and defensive specialist Ella Voegele (Plymouth, Minn.), freshman right side Emily Clausen (Waukesha, Wis.), freshman outside hitter Ellie Gustafson (Monticello, Wis.), freshman setter Morgan Kealy (River Falls, Wis.), freshman middle blocker Addison Schmotzer (Madison, Wis.), and freshman outside hitter Miriam Unongo (Minneapolis, Minn.).
Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament
The Tommies hosted their first tournament, the Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament, as an NCAA Division I program. St. Thomas went 1-2 during the tournament, grabbing a 3-1 win over California Baptist and taking losses of 3-1 to Milwaukee and Montana State.
Summit League Network
Beginning with the 2023 season, all home Tommie Volleyball matches, and all Summit League matches will be streamed exclusively on the Summit League Network, in partnership with Midco Sports. A subscription-based network, viewers can access all St. Thomas athletics events HERE.
Looking at the Yearbook
Reflecting on 2022, the Tommies fielded one of the youngest teams across all of NCAA Division I. Last year's squad included just one senior and three juniors with the youth of sophomores and freshmen including 16 student-athletes.
The Toms improved one victory over their 2021 season total as their second fall of Division I play, but the Purple continue to improve and compete at a high level. They picked up nonconference wins at 14-win Montana State and 18-win Saint Louis and swept Western Illinois in conference play. Both wins against Western Illinois came in straight sets.
All-Freshman Team: Part Two
Emma Goerger and Tezra Rudzitis followed in the footsteps of junior Lauren Galvin as selections to the seven-player Summit League All-Freshman Team last season. Goerger was one of four Toms to play in all 30 matches and ranked ninth in the league with 0.97 blocks per set and 24th with 2.67 points per set. She had 101 total blocks and 195 total kills. Rudzitis played in 28 matches with 21 starts and was second for St. Thomas with 2.07 kills per set (190 total kills).
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Volleyball, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @tommievball
Join Us
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommies' 2023 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
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