Tommies drop three-set match to Mavericks in league road opener

OMAHA, Neb. -- For the second straight match, junior Megan Wetter paced St. Thomas volleyball in kills and blocks, but the Tommies couldn't overcome a strong offensive Omaha team during a 3-0 loss (15-25, 19-25, 20-25) at Baxter Arena.

Wetter totaled nine a team-high nine kills and tied Tezra Rudzitis and Addie Schmotzer with two blocks each, all assisted. Rudzitis tied Lauren Galvin with six kills to follow Wetter while Ellie Gustafson added four kills and led the team with 10 digs.

Omaha hit .298 from the floor, including a .515 percentage in the opening set, compared to .088 for St. Thomas, while the Mavericks totaled 11 team blocks to the Tommies' four.

A pair of kills helped UNO to a quick 2-0 lead in the opening set before Gustafson's first kill of the match sparked a 7-2 run to tie the game at 9-9. Four Tommies recorded kills during the run that was capped by a service ace by Morgan Kealy, one of the Purple's two aces on the day. Both teams traded points followed by three straight from the Mavericks to lead for the rest of the game.

St. Thomas took the first point of the second game for its only lead of the set. Rudzitis hit the team's first two kills to keep the Tommies within one, 5-4, as she finished with four in the set. A 7-1 run from UNO extended its lead to seven before further pulling away by a set-high eight points, 18-10. Gustafson's final kill of the set helped the Tommies on an 8-4 run to draw within four, but the Mavericks closed on a 3-1 run to pull ahead, 2-0.

Set three featured three lead changes over the first 11 points as Rudzitis gave St. Thomas the first lead on a kill. Omaha took its first lead of the set, 4-3, while both teams went on 2-0 runs to swap leads again. The Tommies kept the Mavericks within two points and tied the set at 16-16 following an unsuccessful challenge from UNO, which came just after an unsuccessful challenge by St. Thomas on the previous point. The match of runs continued as Omaha used a 6-1 run to control the remainder of the set.

Top Tommies

Megan Wetter led the Tommies in kills for the second time this season with nine, both coming over the last two matches, and led in blocks for the 10th time with two, tying Rudzitis and Schmotzer.

Morgan Kealy has led St. Thomas in assists in every match this season, adding 18 on Saturday.

Lauren Galvin and Tezra Rudzitis each hit six kills while Galvin added one dig and one block, and Rudzitis totaled two digs and two blocks.

Up Next

St. Thomas remains on the road to continue the Summit League season, traveling Thursday, Oct. 3 to play South Dakota. The Tommies will then return home Saturday, Oct. 5 to host Kansas City at Schoenecker Arena.

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Team Stats

Megan Wetter

Lauren Galvin

Tezra Rudzitis

Ellie Gustafson

Players Mentioned

Lauren Galvin

Ellie Gustafson

Morgan Kealy

Addie Schmotzer

Megan Wetter