University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, August 26
Chicago, Ill. / Credit Union 1 Arena
1:00 p.m. Central
0-3,0-0Summit League
1
vs
3
Oakland
1-2,0-0Horizon
1
2
3
4
F
Oakland
25
25
13
25
3
St. Thomas (MN)
23
20
25
13
1
Photo by: Wesley Dean
Tommies fall short to Golden Grizzlies in final match of Chicago Classic
8/26/2023 4:00:00 PM | Volleyball
CHICAGO -- Sophomore Emma Goerger and freshman Morgan Kealy paced the Tommies during their final match of the Chicago Classic, a 3-1 loss (23-25, 20-25, 25-13, 13-25) to Oakland at the Credit Union 1 Arena.
Kealy posted her third straight double-double with 41 assists and 16 digs, both team highs against the Golden Grizzlies. Goerger paced the squad with 12 kills and three blocks to finish with 13.5 points. The Tommies landed six service aces as a team, including two each from Ella Voegele and Keya Luta Win Hunt.
RECAP
The Tommies fell short in the first set despite starting the match with a strong lead. Oakland took the lead, 15-11, after a 4-0 scoring run, which the Tommies responded with three straight to trail by one, 17-16. Sophomore Allie Kopp recorded a service ace to take a 22-21 lead, forcing an OU timeout, but the Tommies would fall short, 25-23, in the first set.
St. Thomas started strong again in the second set with a 4-1 lead, getting points off kills by seniors Ellie Dammann and Claire Ricard before two error by OU. Kealy tied the set, 11-11, with a service ace, before a 4-0 run by Oakland created enough separation to take a 25-20 set win.
The Purple jumped ahead 7-1 during set three after forcing two errors along with kills by Goerger, sophomore Megan Wetter, sophomore Kaitlynn Peterson, and an ace by Voegele. The Tommies held the lead throughout the set, going on multiple runs, to win 25-13 and force a fourth set.
The Golden Grizzlies scored 12 of the first 13 points to control the fourth set. OU led by as many as 13 in the final set to hand St. Thomas a loss to end the Chicago Classic.
TOP TOMMIES
· Sophomore Emma Goerger led the team with 12 kills and three total blocks for a total of 13.5 points. Four of her points came during the first set with a .800 hitting percentage, and she finished the match hitting .357.
· Freshman Morgan Kealy now has three consecutive double-doubles to start the season, which includes two of the program's top three single-match assist totals since joining NCAA Division I. Fifteen of her assists and eight digs came during the opening set.
· Junior Lauren Galvin finished with 10 kills, seven digs, and two assists.
· Junior Libby Mattila made her first start of the season and finished with seven kills and a .273 hitting percentage.
· Sophomore Megan Wetter totaled a .500 hitting percentage with eight kills.
QUOTEABLES
Thoughts from head coach Thanh Pham following Saturday's match:
"This has been such a good, competitive tournament for us. We played some really good volleyball and now need to find a way to sustain a high level of play. It is fun knowing we can, and we are excited to get back to practice on Monday."
UP NEXT
The Tommies return home for its first non-conference tournament of the Division I era. St. Thomas will host the Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament August 31 through September 2, welcoming in California Baptist, Milwaukee, and Montana State. St. Thomas and Montana State open the tournament at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 31 in Schoenecker Arena.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Volleyball, follow along on X 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 --
Kealy posted her third straight double-double with 41 assists and 16 digs, both team highs against the Golden Grizzlies. Goerger paced the squad with 12 kills and three blocks to finish with 13.5 points. The Tommies landed six service aces as a team, including two each from Ella Voegele and Keya Luta Win Hunt.
RECAP
The Tommies fell short in the first set despite starting the match with a strong lead. Oakland took the lead, 15-11, after a 4-0 scoring run, which the Tommies responded with three straight to trail by one, 17-16. Sophomore Allie Kopp recorded a service ace to take a 22-21 lead, forcing an OU timeout, but the Tommies would fall short, 25-23, in the first set.
St. Thomas started strong again in the second set with a 4-1 lead, getting points off kills by seniors Ellie Dammann and Claire Ricard before two error by OU. Kealy tied the set, 11-11, with a service ace, before a 4-0 run by Oakland created enough separation to take a 25-20 set win.
The Purple jumped ahead 7-1 during set three after forcing two errors along with kills by Goerger, sophomore Megan Wetter, sophomore Kaitlynn Peterson, and an ace by Voegele. The Tommies held the lead throughout the set, going on multiple runs, to win 25-13 and force a fourth set.
The Golden Grizzlies scored 12 of the first 13 points to control the fourth set. OU led by as many as 13 in the final set to hand St. Thomas a loss to end the Chicago Classic.
TOP TOMMIES
· Sophomore Emma Goerger led the team with 12 kills and three total blocks for a total of 13.5 points. Four of her points came during the first set with a .800 hitting percentage, and she finished the match hitting .357.
· Freshman Morgan Kealy now has three consecutive double-doubles to start the season, which includes two of the program's top three single-match assist totals since joining NCAA Division I. Fifteen of her assists and eight digs came during the opening set.
· Junior Lauren Galvin finished with 10 kills, seven digs, and two assists.
· Junior Libby Mattila made her first start of the season and finished with seven kills and a .273 hitting percentage.
· Sophomore Megan Wetter totaled a .500 hitting percentage with eight kills.
QUOTEABLES
Thoughts from head coach Thanh Pham following Saturday's match:
"This has been such a good, competitive tournament for us. We played some really good volleyball and now need to find a way to sustain a high level of play. It is fun knowing we can, and we are excited to get back to practice on Monday."
UP NEXT
The Tommies return home for its first non-conference tournament of the Division I era. St. Thomas will host the Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament August 31 through September 2, welcoming in California Baptist, Milwaukee, and Montana State. St. Thomas and Montana State open the tournament at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 31 in Schoenecker Arena.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Volleyball, follow along on X 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 --
Team Stats
Oak
UST
Kills
58
53
Errors
15
21
Attempts
148
151
Hitting %
.291
.212
Points
65.0
64.0
Assists
54
50
Aces
4
6
Blocks
3
5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Volleyball
RS
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballMB
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