University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, September 8
Chicago, Ill. / McGrath-Phillips Arena
10:00 a.m. Central
vs
Evansville
Photo by: Kylie Macziewski
Tommie Volleyball back on the road for DePaul Invite Sept. 8-9
9/7/2023 9:30:00 AM | Volleyball
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Tommie Volleyball program returns to Chicago for the second time in three weeks Sept. 8-9 as it competes at the DePaul Invitational, hosted by DePaul, at McGrath-Phillips Arena.
St. Thomas begins the tournament with two matches Friday, Sept. 8, opening at 10 a.m. against Evansville before taking on host DePaul at 7 p.m. The Purple conclude their weekend at 12 p.m. Saturday against Northern Illinois.
Host of the Party
St. Thomas hosted its first non-conference tournament since joining NCAA Division I Aug. 31-Sept. 2, welcoming California Baptist, Milwaukee, and Montana State to Schoenecker Arena for the six-match series.
During the opening match of the weekend, St. Thomas and Montana squared off for the second time in as many seasons. The Bobcats came away with a 3-1 win (17-25, 21-25, 25-23, 27-29) to even the all-time series record. MSU controlled set one and made a comeback on the Purple in set two to nab a quick 2-0 lead. The teams stayed within reach of each other through set three until sophomore Megan Wetter powered in two kills to help the Tommies to the set win. Like the majority of the sets prior, both teams stayed hand-in-hand with each other through set four, forcing extra points. Facing a 27-26 deficit, MSU answered with three straight points, including two kills from Kira Thomsen, to earn the match win.
Despite a litany of injuries during the second match of the tournament, the Tommies came away with a 3-1 win (25-16, 17-25, 25-20, 25-22) over California Baptist. Three sophomores and three freshmen started for the Purple, leading to their largest set win of the tournament. Freshman Ellie Gustafson started the match with back-to-back aces, followed by two kills each from Wetter and sophomore Kaitlynn Peterson for an 11-2 lead. Following the Toms' set one win, a mid-set, 10-1 run by the Lancers allowed the visitors to even the match, 1-1. The Purple used runs of 4-0 to start set three and 5-0 to start set four to secure their first win of the season.
Again with seven student-athletes missing time due to injury, the Toms couldn't gain steam against Milwaukee during a 3-0 loss (19-25, 14-25, 18-25). St. Thomas trailed 4-0 to start set one before battling back for a 12-11 lead but gave up five of the next six points to the Panthers. Both teams traded points over the first nine serves of set two before UWM scored eight of the final nine points to win set two. Milwaukee secured the tournament title after breaking and separating from an 8-8 tie in set three.
Megan in the Middle
Sophomore Megan Wetter led the Tommie defensive line with a team-best 13 blocks, including 12 assisted, during the tournament. Following her 1.18 blocks per set in the three matches, Wetter leads St. Thomas and is fourth in the Summit League with 18 total blocks.
All-Tournament Nod
Freshman Ellie Gustafson was the St. Thomas selection for the Tommie Invitational All-Tournament Team. She tallied 23 total kills with 37 digs, both second for the team, and added three aces and three blocks. Gustafson recorded nine kills with 19 digs and two blocks to open the tournament against Montana State. Gustafson currently leads St. Thomas and ranks 11th in the Summit League with 49 total kills. She is second for the Tommies and 16th in the league with 2.45 kills per set.
Scouting Evansville
Evansville faces St. Thomas with a 4-1 record overall in hopes of extending its four-match winning streak. The Purple Aces came away with two 3-1 wins at the Samford Invite, first taking down Samford (22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-20) on Friday and North Alabama (25-16, 25-18, 21-25, 25-18) on Saturday.
Ainoah Cruz was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week following a mid-week win and the Samford Invite. She posted 5.08 digs per set along with 11 assists and five service aces over the week. Junior Giulia Cardona leads the MVC and is second in the country with 5.55 kills per set.
Scouting DePaul
DePaul enters its home tournament with a 2-3 record overall, earning its two wins at the three-match Buffalo Invite in Buffalo, N.Y. The Blue Demons dropped their opening match of the tournament to Buffalo, 3-0 (12-25, 26-28, 24-26), before nabbing 3-1 wins over Binghamton (25-12, 19-25, 25-16, 25-20) and Montana (25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 25-16).
Grad student Audrey Klemp and senior Rachel Krasowski were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, and both earned Buffalo Invite All-Tournament Team honors. Klemp tallied 47 kills through 11 sets on the weekend, hitting .500 against Binghamton and .405 against Montana. Krasowski recorded 65 digs in 11 sets, including 30 in the win over Montana, and ranks fourth in the country with 5.65 digs per set.
Scouting Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois comes into the DePaul Invitational with a 1-5 record overall, going 1-2 at the Wildcat Classic Sept. 1-2 in Davidson, N.C. The Huskies came away with their first win of the season against UNC Wilmington, 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 16-25, 25-18, 15-11), before losses to Davidson, 1-3 (22-25, 25-18, 19-25, 20-25), and Queens (20-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-18, 11-15).
Junior Crew Hoffmeier leads the MAC and is eighth in the country with 5.37 digs per set and leads all of NCAA Division I with 145 total digs. Junior Nikolette Nedic is second in the MAC and 48th nationally with 102.0 total points.
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 will face 10 for the first time in program history. The only familiar opponent during the non-conference schedule is Montana State after taking a 3-2 win over the Bobcats last 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 is set to reach the 650-match mark 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.
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 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 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 --
St. Thomas begins the tournament with two matches Friday, Sept. 8, opening at 10 a.m. against Evansville before taking on host DePaul at 7 p.m. The Purple conclude their weekend at 12 p.m. Saturday against Northern Illinois.
Host of the Party
St. Thomas hosted its first non-conference tournament since joining NCAA Division I Aug. 31-Sept. 2, welcoming California Baptist, Milwaukee, and Montana State to Schoenecker Arena for the six-match series.
During the opening match of the weekend, St. Thomas and Montana squared off for the second time in as many seasons. The Bobcats came away with a 3-1 win (17-25, 21-25, 25-23, 27-29) to even the all-time series record. MSU controlled set one and made a comeback on the Purple in set two to nab a quick 2-0 lead. The teams stayed within reach of each other through set three until sophomore Megan Wetter powered in two kills to help the Tommies to the set win. Like the majority of the sets prior, both teams stayed hand-in-hand with each other through set four, forcing extra points. Facing a 27-26 deficit, MSU answered with three straight points, including two kills from Kira Thomsen, to earn the match win.
Despite a litany of injuries during the second match of the tournament, the Tommies came away with a 3-1 win (25-16, 17-25, 25-20, 25-22) over California Baptist. Three sophomores and three freshmen started for the Purple, leading to their largest set win of the tournament. Freshman Ellie Gustafson started the match with back-to-back aces, followed by two kills each from Wetter and sophomore Kaitlynn Peterson for an 11-2 lead. Following the Toms' set one win, a mid-set, 10-1 run by the Lancers allowed the visitors to even the match, 1-1. The Purple used runs of 4-0 to start set three and 5-0 to start set four to secure their first win of the season.
Again with seven student-athletes missing time due to injury, the Toms couldn't gain steam against Milwaukee during a 3-0 loss (19-25, 14-25, 18-25). St. Thomas trailed 4-0 to start set one before battling back for a 12-11 lead but gave up five of the next six points to the Panthers. Both teams traded points over the first nine serves of set two before UWM scored eight of the final nine points to win set two. Milwaukee secured the tournament title after breaking and separating from an 8-8 tie in set three.
Megan in the Middle
Sophomore Megan Wetter led the Tommie defensive line with a team-best 13 blocks, including 12 assisted, during the tournament. Following her 1.18 blocks per set in the three matches, Wetter leads St. Thomas and is fourth in the Summit League with 18 total blocks.
All-Tournament Nod
Freshman Ellie Gustafson was the St. Thomas selection for the Tommie Invitational All-Tournament Team. She tallied 23 total kills with 37 digs, both second for the team, and added three aces and three blocks. Gustafson recorded nine kills with 19 digs and two blocks to open the tournament against Montana State. Gustafson currently leads St. Thomas and ranks 11th in the Summit League with 49 total kills. She is second for the Tommies and 16th in the league with 2.45 kills per set.
Scouting Evansville
Evansville faces St. Thomas with a 4-1 record overall in hopes of extending its four-match winning streak. The Purple Aces came away with two 3-1 wins at the Samford Invite, first taking down Samford (22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-20) on Friday and North Alabama (25-16, 25-18, 21-25, 25-18) on Saturday.
Ainoah Cruz was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week following a mid-week win and the Samford Invite. She posted 5.08 digs per set along with 11 assists and five service aces over the week. Junior Giulia Cardona leads the MVC and is second in the country with 5.55 kills per set.
Scouting DePaul
DePaul enters its home tournament with a 2-3 record overall, earning its two wins at the three-match Buffalo Invite in Buffalo, N.Y. The Blue Demons dropped their opening match of the tournament to Buffalo, 3-0 (12-25, 26-28, 24-26), before nabbing 3-1 wins over Binghamton (25-12, 19-25, 25-16, 25-20) and Montana (25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 25-16).
Grad student Audrey Klemp and senior Rachel Krasowski were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, and both earned Buffalo Invite All-Tournament Team honors. Klemp tallied 47 kills through 11 sets on the weekend, hitting .500 against Binghamton and .405 against Montana. Krasowski recorded 65 digs in 11 sets, including 30 in the win over Montana, and ranks fourth in the country with 5.65 digs per set.
Scouting Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois comes into the DePaul Invitational with a 1-5 record overall, going 1-2 at the Wildcat Classic Sept. 1-2 in Davidson, N.C. The Huskies came away with their first win of the season against UNC Wilmington, 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 16-25, 25-18, 15-11), before losses to Davidson, 1-3 (22-25, 25-18, 19-25, 20-25), and Queens (20-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-18, 11-15).
Junior Crew Hoffmeier leads the MAC and is eighth in the country with 5.37 digs per set and leads all of NCAA Division I with 145 total digs. Junior Nikolette Nedic is second in the MAC and 48th nationally with 102.0 total points.
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 will face 10 for the first time in program history. The only familiar opponent during the non-conference schedule is Montana State after taking a 3-2 win over the Bobcats last 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 is set to reach the 650-match mark 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.
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 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 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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