University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, November 14
St. Paul, Minn.
7:00 p.m. Central
vs
South Dakota
Volleyball to host South Dakota, Oral Roberts to close out 2024 season
11/13/2024 11:10:00 AM | Volleyball
Thursday is Superhero Night and Saturday is Senior Day
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Thomas volleyball looks to add to its successful 2024 season during the season finale Nov. 14 and 16 as it hosts South Dakota and Oral Roberts at Schoenecker Arena, aiming to secure season sweeps against both The Tommies first host the Coyotes at 7 p.m. Thursday during Superhero Night followed by the Golden Eagles at 12 p.m. Saturday during Senior/Parents Day.
Live Stats: Thursday vs South Dakota / Saturday vs Oral Roberts
Watch: Summit League Network
Series History
Prior to playing South Dakota during the first meeting of the season on Oct. 3, St. Thomas was looking for the program's first wins against four Summit League teams all-time, including South Dakota. Since then St. Thomas took down South Dakota, Kansas City, Denver and South Dakota State, leaving just one league team for the Tommies to beat (Omaha).
St. Thomas volleyball achieved its first-ever win over South Dakota with a dominant sweep in Vermillion, S.D. Ellie Gustafson led the way with her fourth double-double of the season, posting 13 kills and 10 digs, while the Tommies' efficient offense recorded a .318 hitting percentage and only nine attack errors. St. Thomas controlled the match from the start, leading wire-to-wire in the first set, rallying back from an early deficit to take a close second set, and maintaining a steady lead in the third. Lauren Galvin contributed 11 kills on a .370 hitting percentage, and Megan Wetter added seven kills with a team-high seven blocks.
St. Thomas volleyball secured a 3-1 road victory over Oral Roberts during the teams' first meeting. Led by Tezra Rudzitis with 15 kills and a .440 hitting percentage, and Megan Wetter with 14 kills on a .478 hitting percentage, the Tommies showcased a balanced attack. Setter Morgan Kealy recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 43 assists and 11 digs, while the Tommies held Oral Roberts to a .143 hitting percentage and out-blocked them with eight team blocks. Defensively, Ella Voegele led with 22 digs, while Allie Kopp reached the 500-career digs milestone.
Toms On a Roll
St. Thomas volleyball is on a roll with wins in 16 of the last 23 matches and four of the last five. The Tommies' 16 wins set a new program Division I single-season record and is third most in the Summit League this season. The Purple's eight league wins also set a new DI benchmark and guarantees a .500 season in league play.
St. Thomas volleyball handed South Dakota State its first loss in nearly a calendar year with a thrilling five-set win (22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-25, 16-14). The Tommies used a balanced offense with four players reaching double-digit kills, led by Lauren Galvin's 16. The team hit .209 overall, besting SDSU's .197, and recorded 11 blocks. Megan Wetter contributed 10 kills on a .409 hitting percentage with eight blocks, and Ellie Gustafson notched a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs. In a nail-biting final set, St. Thomas built a 9-4 lead and fended off a late SDSU rally, sealing the win with a crucial kill from Tezra Rudzitis and an attack error from the Jackrabbits on match point.
St. Thomas volleyball secured a straight-set sweep over Kansas City (25-18, 25-17, 25-21) on Saturday, led by impressive performances from Tezra Rudzitis and Megan Wetter, who each recorded double-digit kills while hitting over .400. With this victory, the Tommies improve to 16-10 overall, making them one of only 10 transitioning teams since 2011 to reach 16 wins. St. Thomas hit .244 as a team and tallied seven service aces with only one service error, maintaining control throughout the match. Morgan Kealy notched her 17th double-double with 33 assists and 12 digs, while Lauren Galvin added 14 digs, eight kills, and three aces, and is 23 kills away from 1,000 in her career.
Seeing Double-Double(s)
Lauren Galvin, Ellie Gustafson and Morgan Kealy have been productive on both ends of the court while combining for 32 double doubles through 26 St. Thomas matches this season. The trio has also combined for 56 career double-doubles.
Galvin recorded back-to-back double-doubles Sept. 6-7 to close out the Tommie Invitational with 18 kills and 14 digs against Valpo and 15 kills and 10 digs against NIU. She added another with 11 kills and 11 digs during the win at Green Bay before tying a career high 22 kills as part of her 17th career double-double at Denver.
Kealy is consistently producing double-doubles with 15 over the last 21 matches, dating back to Sept. 7 against Northern Illinois. As part of her double-double Sept. 14 at Milwaukee, Kealy topped the 1,000 career assist mark to become the first Tommie to do so during the DI era. Before being snapped Sept. 28 at UNO, Kealy produced four straight double-doubles with at least 42 assists in each match.
Like Kealy, Gustafson had a three-match streak of double-doubles, recording at least 11 kills in each match for 3.42 kills per set. She recorded a career high 17 digs in the 3-1 win over Chicago State and totaled 15 kills against each Milwaukee and Green Bay before the streak ended Sept. 26 against NDSU. Her 13th career double-double helped lift the Tommies to a road win over South Dakota State.
Meet Us at the Net
Megan Wetter was named the Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week for the first time in her career following two road wins. She paced the Tommie defense with 1.38 blocks per set in eight sets. Wetter finished with 21 total kills with just one errors for a . 476 hitting percentage on the offensive end. She is the third Tommie to earn Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors this season.
Wetter continues to serve as the Tommies' top attack stuffer as she ranks eighth in the Summit League with 1.01 block per set. She has led St. Thomas in blocks 16 times and holds the league's fifth-most single-match blocks this season with nine against Valparaiso. Wetter also ranks fourth in the league with a .337 hitting percentage.
Can You Dig It?
Voegele and the defense of the Tommies has the team near the top nationally in digs, ranking 36th overall and first in the Summit League with 16.62 per set. Voegele ranks tied for 41st nationally and leads the league with 4.76 digs per set. Her 30 digs against Valparaiso is tied for second most by a player in the Summit League this season. Voegele became the first Tommie in the DI era to record 1,000 career digs, 898 coming in the Purple and Gray, doing so Sept. 7 in a 3-1 win over Northern Illinois.
Lead the Attack
Galvin and Rudzitis have powered the offense through the first 26 matches, both ranking among the top 10 of the Summit League in kills per set. Rudzitis is seventh with 3.08 per set and ninth with 3.36 points per set while Galvin is ninth with 2.93 kills per set and 11th with 3.33 points per set. Rudzitis is also eighth in the league with a .272 hitting percentage and has led the team in kills in 13 matches.
Adding to the offensive attack is Wetter who is 14th in the Summit League with 2.51 kills per set and 12th with 3.29 points per set. She has led the Tommies in kills during five matches and has hit at least .294 from the floor in 13 of the last 14 matches.
Welcome to 2024
Head Coach Thanh Pham leads Tommie Volleyball into action for the 22nd season overall and fourth in NCAA Division I play. Joining Pham on the sidelines is assistant coaches Joy Tietz in her fourth season (14th overall at St. Thomas) and Malissa LeClaire and Kevin Rivas in their third seasons. St. Thomas comes off a 7-20 campaign in 2023, including a 3-13 mark in the Summit League. Both win totals marked the most by the program since joining the DI ranks.
The Purple bring back 18 student-athletes from a season ago and introduce one newcomer in true freshman outside hitter Maddy Benka. Besides Benka and Schmotzer, all 18 Tommie returners saw action in 2023.
The First Perfect Non-Conference Tournament
The 2024 Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament was a success as the home team came away with a perfect 3-0 record, claiming the tournament title. It's the first tournament title and first three match winning streak during the DI era.
St. Thomas opened its weekend with a sweep over Tarleton State coming off a stellar offensive attack. The Tommies hit .295 on the offensive end with only 11 errors, the best hitting percentage since Oct. 15, 2022, and the fewest errors since Nov. 12, 2022.
The Tommies carried the momentum over to its match against Valparaiso, winning the first two sets. The Beacons came back to win sets three and four but, the Toms made a late surge and scored four of the final five points to win the fifth set.
Galvin and junior Tezra Rudzitis powered the offense and combined for 32 kills to help St. Thomas to a 3-1 win over NIU. Rudzitis tied a career high 17 kills on a .333 hitting percentage.
Summit League Peak Performers of the Week
Senior outside hitter Lauren Galvin and junior defensive specialist/libero Ella Voegele, the St. Thomas Players to Watch as announced by the Summit League in the Preseason Coaches' Poll, became the first Tommie duo to sweep Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors following its 3-0 weekend at the Tommie Invitational. Megan Wetter was later named the Defensive Peak Performer of the Week following the team's two-win weekend at previously undefeated South Dakota State and at Kansas City.
Galvin, from Woodbury, Minn., returned to Schoenecker Arena for the first time since Nov. 19, 2022, to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. She led St. Thomas with 4.0 kills per set and 4.5 points per set while hitting .242 from the floor. Galvin recorded two double doubles over the weekend with 18 kills and 14 digs against Valparaiso and 15 kills and 10 digs against NIU. She also totaled 15 kills with no errors for a .417 hitting percentage in a sweep over Tarleton State.
Voegele, hailing from Plymouth, Minn., earned her second career Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week honor after surpassing the 1,000-career dig mark at the Tommie Invitational. She led the Tommies with 5.92 digs per set and recorded the program's second 30-dig match since joining DI, nothing 30 in the 3-2 win over Valpo.
Wetter, from Monticello, Minn., paced the Tommie defense with 1.38 blocks per set in eight sets over the weekend. She led off with eight total blocks in the win at SDSU to go along with 10 kills and one error on a .409 hitting percentage, four digs and one assist. Wetter then totaled three blocks, all assisted, with 11 kills and no errors for a .550 hitting percentage, her third best of the season, against Kansas City.
Summit League Network
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.
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' 2024 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
Live Stats: Thursday vs South Dakota / Saturday vs Oral Roberts
Watch: Summit League Network
Series History
Prior to playing South Dakota during the first meeting of the season on Oct. 3, St. Thomas was looking for the program's first wins against four Summit League teams all-time, including South Dakota. Since then St. Thomas took down South Dakota, Kansas City, Denver and South Dakota State, leaving just one league team for the Tommies to beat (Omaha).
St. Thomas volleyball achieved its first-ever win over South Dakota with a dominant sweep in Vermillion, S.D. Ellie Gustafson led the way with her fourth double-double of the season, posting 13 kills and 10 digs, while the Tommies' efficient offense recorded a .318 hitting percentage and only nine attack errors. St. Thomas controlled the match from the start, leading wire-to-wire in the first set, rallying back from an early deficit to take a close second set, and maintaining a steady lead in the third. Lauren Galvin contributed 11 kills on a .370 hitting percentage, and Megan Wetter added seven kills with a team-high seven blocks.
St. Thomas volleyball secured a 3-1 road victory over Oral Roberts during the teams' first meeting. Led by Tezra Rudzitis with 15 kills and a .440 hitting percentage, and Megan Wetter with 14 kills on a .478 hitting percentage, the Tommies showcased a balanced attack. Setter Morgan Kealy recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 43 assists and 11 digs, while the Tommies held Oral Roberts to a .143 hitting percentage and out-blocked them with eight team blocks. Defensively, Ella Voegele led with 22 digs, while Allie Kopp reached the 500-career digs milestone.
Toms On a Roll
St. Thomas volleyball is on a roll with wins in 16 of the last 23 matches and four of the last five. The Tommies' 16 wins set a new program Division I single-season record and is third most in the Summit League this season. The Purple's eight league wins also set a new DI benchmark and guarantees a .500 season in league play.
St. Thomas volleyball handed South Dakota State its first loss in nearly a calendar year with a thrilling five-set win (22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-25, 16-14). The Tommies used a balanced offense with four players reaching double-digit kills, led by Lauren Galvin's 16. The team hit .209 overall, besting SDSU's .197, and recorded 11 blocks. Megan Wetter contributed 10 kills on a .409 hitting percentage with eight blocks, and Ellie Gustafson notched a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs. In a nail-biting final set, St. Thomas built a 9-4 lead and fended off a late SDSU rally, sealing the win with a crucial kill from Tezra Rudzitis and an attack error from the Jackrabbits on match point.
St. Thomas volleyball secured a straight-set sweep over Kansas City (25-18, 25-17, 25-21) on Saturday, led by impressive performances from Tezra Rudzitis and Megan Wetter, who each recorded double-digit kills while hitting over .400. With this victory, the Tommies improve to 16-10 overall, making them one of only 10 transitioning teams since 2011 to reach 16 wins. St. Thomas hit .244 as a team and tallied seven service aces with only one service error, maintaining control throughout the match. Morgan Kealy notched her 17th double-double with 33 assists and 12 digs, while Lauren Galvin added 14 digs, eight kills, and three aces, and is 23 kills away from 1,000 in her career.
Seeing Double-Double(s)
Lauren Galvin, Ellie Gustafson and Morgan Kealy have been productive on both ends of the court while combining for 32 double doubles through 26 St. Thomas matches this season. The trio has also combined for 56 career double-doubles.
Galvin recorded back-to-back double-doubles Sept. 6-7 to close out the Tommie Invitational with 18 kills and 14 digs against Valpo and 15 kills and 10 digs against NIU. She added another with 11 kills and 11 digs during the win at Green Bay before tying a career high 22 kills as part of her 17th career double-double at Denver.
Kealy is consistently producing double-doubles with 15 over the last 21 matches, dating back to Sept. 7 against Northern Illinois. As part of her double-double Sept. 14 at Milwaukee, Kealy topped the 1,000 career assist mark to become the first Tommie to do so during the DI era. Before being snapped Sept. 28 at UNO, Kealy produced four straight double-doubles with at least 42 assists in each match.
Like Kealy, Gustafson had a three-match streak of double-doubles, recording at least 11 kills in each match for 3.42 kills per set. She recorded a career high 17 digs in the 3-1 win over Chicago State and totaled 15 kills against each Milwaukee and Green Bay before the streak ended Sept. 26 against NDSU. Her 13th career double-double helped lift the Tommies to a road win over South Dakota State.
Meet Us at the Net
Megan Wetter was named the Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week for the first time in her career following two road wins. She paced the Tommie defense with 1.38 blocks per set in eight sets. Wetter finished with 21 total kills with just one errors for a . 476 hitting percentage on the offensive end. She is the third Tommie to earn Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors this season.
Wetter continues to serve as the Tommies' top attack stuffer as she ranks eighth in the Summit League with 1.01 block per set. She has led St. Thomas in blocks 16 times and holds the league's fifth-most single-match blocks this season with nine against Valparaiso. Wetter also ranks fourth in the league with a .337 hitting percentage.
Can You Dig It?
Voegele and the defense of the Tommies has the team near the top nationally in digs, ranking 36th overall and first in the Summit League with 16.62 per set. Voegele ranks tied for 41st nationally and leads the league with 4.76 digs per set. Her 30 digs against Valparaiso is tied for second most by a player in the Summit League this season. Voegele became the first Tommie in the DI era to record 1,000 career digs, 898 coming in the Purple and Gray, doing so Sept. 7 in a 3-1 win over Northern Illinois.
Lead the Attack
Galvin and Rudzitis have powered the offense through the first 26 matches, both ranking among the top 10 of the Summit League in kills per set. Rudzitis is seventh with 3.08 per set and ninth with 3.36 points per set while Galvin is ninth with 2.93 kills per set and 11th with 3.33 points per set. Rudzitis is also eighth in the league with a .272 hitting percentage and has led the team in kills in 13 matches.
Adding to the offensive attack is Wetter who is 14th in the Summit League with 2.51 kills per set and 12th with 3.29 points per set. She has led the Tommies in kills during five matches and has hit at least .294 from the floor in 13 of the last 14 matches.
Welcome to 2024
Head Coach Thanh Pham leads Tommie Volleyball into action for the 22nd season overall and fourth in NCAA Division I play. Joining Pham on the sidelines is assistant coaches Joy Tietz in her fourth season (14th overall at St. Thomas) and Malissa LeClaire and Kevin Rivas in their third seasons. St. Thomas comes off a 7-20 campaign in 2023, including a 3-13 mark in the Summit League. Both win totals marked the most by the program since joining the DI ranks.
The Purple bring back 18 student-athletes from a season ago and introduce one newcomer in true freshman outside hitter Maddy Benka. Besides Benka and Schmotzer, all 18 Tommie returners saw action in 2023.
The First Perfect Non-Conference Tournament
The 2024 Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament was a success as the home team came away with a perfect 3-0 record, claiming the tournament title. It's the first tournament title and first three match winning streak during the DI era.
St. Thomas opened its weekend with a sweep over Tarleton State coming off a stellar offensive attack. The Tommies hit .295 on the offensive end with only 11 errors, the best hitting percentage since Oct. 15, 2022, and the fewest errors since Nov. 12, 2022.
The Tommies carried the momentum over to its match against Valparaiso, winning the first two sets. The Beacons came back to win sets three and four but, the Toms made a late surge and scored four of the final five points to win the fifth set.
Galvin and junior Tezra Rudzitis powered the offense and combined for 32 kills to help St. Thomas to a 3-1 win over NIU. Rudzitis tied a career high 17 kills on a .333 hitting percentage.
Summit League Peak Performers of the Week
Senior outside hitter Lauren Galvin and junior defensive specialist/libero Ella Voegele, the St. Thomas Players to Watch as announced by the Summit League in the Preseason Coaches' Poll, became the first Tommie duo to sweep Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors following its 3-0 weekend at the Tommie Invitational. Megan Wetter was later named the Defensive Peak Performer of the Week following the team's two-win weekend at previously undefeated South Dakota State and at Kansas City.
Galvin, from Woodbury, Minn., returned to Schoenecker Arena for the first time since Nov. 19, 2022, to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. She led St. Thomas with 4.0 kills per set and 4.5 points per set while hitting .242 from the floor. Galvin recorded two double doubles over the weekend with 18 kills and 14 digs against Valparaiso and 15 kills and 10 digs against NIU. She also totaled 15 kills with no errors for a .417 hitting percentage in a sweep over Tarleton State.
Voegele, hailing from Plymouth, Minn., earned her second career Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week honor after surpassing the 1,000-career dig mark at the Tommie Invitational. She led the Tommies with 5.92 digs per set and recorded the program's second 30-dig match since joining DI, nothing 30 in the 3-2 win over Valpo.
Wetter, from Monticello, Minn., paced the Tommie defense with 1.38 blocks per set in eight sets over the weekend. She led off with eight total blocks in the win at SDSU to go along with 10 kills and one error on a .409 hitting percentage, four digs and one assist. Wetter then totaled three blocks, all assisted, with 11 kills and no errors for a .550 hitting percentage, her third best of the season, against Kansas City.
Summit League Network
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.
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' 2024 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
Players Mentioned
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