University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, November 7
Brookings, S.D. / Frost Arena
7:00 p.m. Central
15-10,7-6Summit League
3
at
2
South Dakota State
22-1,11-1Summit League
1
2
3
4
5
F
St. Thomas (MN)
22
25
25
15
16
3
South Dakota St.
25
22
16
25
14
2
Team Stats
UST
SDSU
Kills
60
62
Errors
23
28
Attempts
177
173
Hitting %
.209
.197
Points
78.0
79.0
Assists
52
58
Aces
7
7
Blocks
11
10
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
8
Players Mentioned
OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH/RS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
Photo by: Collin Boyles
Tommies hand (RV) Jackrabbits first loss in five-set thriller
11/7/2024 11:27:00 PM | Volleyball
Balanced attack leads to program’s first win over South Dakota State
handed previously undefeated (RV) South Dakota State its first loss in 354 days in a five-set thriller (22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-25, 16-14). The Tommies featured a balanced attack at Frost Arena in front of 1,644 fans as it improved to 15-10 overall and 7-6 in the Summit League while the Jackrabbits fall to 22-1 and 11-1 in the Summit.
The Purple hit .209 from the floor as a team compared to .197 for SDSU, their second lowest hitting percentage of the season. St. Thomas finished with 11 blocks against 10 for SDSU and 60 kills, the fourth time the Purple have hit as many in a match. Thursday's win marks the first for the program ever against the Jackrabbits.
Four Tommies topped 10 kills, including Ellie Gustafson with a double double of 14 digs and 12 kills, while Megan Wetter hit 10 kills on a .409 percentage with eight blocks. Lauren Galvin led all Tommies with 16 kills as she added seven digs, two blocks and two assists.
St. Thomas took the initial lead in each of the first four sets, including a 6-2 run to open the match. Tezra Rudzitis opened with back-to-back kills, two of her 11 kills on the night, followed by the first of Wetter's eight blocks and a service ace by Allie Kopp. SDSU scored 8 of the next 11 to take its first lead, 10-9. Both teams traded leads seven times in the set, the last by the Jackrabbits, 18-17, who held off a late comeback by the Tommies, who fell despite hitting a match best .312 from the floor.
Four kills and two blocks helped the Tommies jump ahead in the second set, 7-3. Following a timeout by SDSU with St. Thomas leading, 14-9, the Jackrabbits went on a run of 8-2 to take its first lead. Morgan Kealy, who finished with 43 assists and six digs, answered with two dump kills to spark a 8-3 run to set up set point.
The Tommie momentum carried into the third set as Gustafson hit two kills with a block assist by Wetter and Rudzitis for a quick 3-0 lead. After two Jackrabbit points, a Galvin kill started a 8-1 run to lead 11-3 that included three kills from Wetter, two by Galvin, and a block assist by Wetter and Galvin. The Purple's lead grew to a set high 11, 22-11, as it held the Jackrabbits to a .000 hitting percentage in the game.
The fourth set began close with three lead changes, the final by SDSU that was part of a 7-0 run. Ahead 16-10, the Tommies struggled to complete a comeback after hitting a match worst .138.
A kill by Addie Schmotzer and service ace by Ella Voegele, who led the Tommies with 24 digs, helped the Purple take its first lead of the final set, 2-1. Wetter's final kill of the night followed by her final block assist (along with Kealy) was the start of a 6-1 run to take control of the match, 9-4. Despite a late comeback by SDSU to tie the set, 14-14, Rudzitis put down the team's final kill followed by an attack error to seal the upset victory. A challenge of the point was confirmed in favor of the Tommies.
Top Tommies
· Lauren Galvin led the Tommies with 16 kills to go along with seven digs, two blocks and two assists. She is now 31 kills shy of 1,000 for her career following her 15th match of the season with at least 10 kills.
· Ellie Gustafson finished with 12 kills and 14 digs for her eighth double-double of the season, including four over the last seven. She hit .216 from the floor, her seventh time hitting at least .200 in a match this season.
· Morgan Kealy has led the Tommies in assists in every match this season, totaling 43 on Thursday night. It's her 10th match with at least 40 assists. Kealy added a season high six kills, hitting .357, to go along with six digs and four blocks.
· Megan Wetter recorded her second most blocks this season with eight, including seven assisted, along with 10 kills on a .409 hitting percentage with four digs. It is her 11th match this season with at least 10 kills while she has hit at least .294 from the floor in 11 of the last 12 matches.
· Tezra Rudzitis totaled 11 kills, hitting double figures for the seventh time over the last 10 matches. She chipped in five digs and three blocks.
Up Next
St. Thomas is in search of the season sweep of Kansas City with a 1 p.m. first serve on Saturday, Nov. 9 in Kansas City, Mo.
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 --
The Purple hit .209 from the floor as a team compared to .197 for SDSU, their second lowest hitting percentage of the season. St. Thomas finished with 11 blocks against 10 for SDSU and 60 kills, the fourth time the Purple have hit as many in a match. Thursday's win marks the first for the program ever against the Jackrabbits.
Four Tommies topped 10 kills, including Ellie Gustafson with a double double of 14 digs and 12 kills, while Megan Wetter hit 10 kills on a .409 percentage with eight blocks. Lauren Galvin led all Tommies with 16 kills as she added seven digs, two blocks and two assists.
St. Thomas took the initial lead in each of the first four sets, including a 6-2 run to open the match. Tezra Rudzitis opened with back-to-back kills, two of her 11 kills on the night, followed by the first of Wetter's eight blocks and a service ace by Allie Kopp. SDSU scored 8 of the next 11 to take its first lead, 10-9. Both teams traded leads seven times in the set, the last by the Jackrabbits, 18-17, who held off a late comeback by the Tommies, who fell despite hitting a match best .312 from the floor.
Four kills and two blocks helped the Tommies jump ahead in the second set, 7-3. Following a timeout by SDSU with St. Thomas leading, 14-9, the Jackrabbits went on a run of 8-2 to take its first lead. Morgan Kealy, who finished with 43 assists and six digs, answered with two dump kills to spark a 8-3 run to set up set point.
The Tommie momentum carried into the third set as Gustafson hit two kills with a block assist by Wetter and Rudzitis for a quick 3-0 lead. After two Jackrabbit points, a Galvin kill started a 8-1 run to lead 11-3 that included three kills from Wetter, two by Galvin, and a block assist by Wetter and Galvin. The Purple's lead grew to a set high 11, 22-11, as it held the Jackrabbits to a .000 hitting percentage in the game.
The fourth set began close with three lead changes, the final by SDSU that was part of a 7-0 run. Ahead 16-10, the Tommies struggled to complete a comeback after hitting a match worst .138.
A kill by Addie Schmotzer and service ace by Ella Voegele, who led the Tommies with 24 digs, helped the Purple take its first lead of the final set, 2-1. Wetter's final kill of the night followed by her final block assist (along with Kealy) was the start of a 6-1 run to take control of the match, 9-4. Despite a late comeback by SDSU to tie the set, 14-14, Rudzitis put down the team's final kill followed by an attack error to seal the upset victory. A challenge of the point was confirmed in favor of the Tommies.
Top Tommies
· Lauren Galvin led the Tommies with 16 kills to go along with seven digs, two blocks and two assists. She is now 31 kills shy of 1,000 for her career following her 15th match of the season with at least 10 kills.
· Ellie Gustafson finished with 12 kills and 14 digs for her eighth double-double of the season, including four over the last seven. She hit .216 from the floor, her seventh time hitting at least .200 in a match this season.
· Morgan Kealy has led the Tommies in assists in every match this season, totaling 43 on Thursday night. It's her 10th match with at least 40 assists. Kealy added a season high six kills, hitting .357, to go along with six digs and four blocks.
· Megan Wetter recorded her second most blocks this season with eight, including seven assisted, along with 10 kills on a .409 hitting percentage with four digs. It is her 11th match this season with at least 10 kills while she has hit at least .294 from the floor in 11 of the last 12 matches.
· Tezra Rudzitis totaled 11 kills, hitting double figures for the seventh time over the last 10 matches. She chipped in five digs and three blocks.
Up Next
St. Thomas is in search of the season sweep of Kansas City with a 1 p.m. first serve on Saturday, Nov. 9 in Kansas City, Mo.
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 --
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