University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, September 5
St. Paul, Minn.
7:00 p.m. Central
vs
Tarleton State
Photo by: Kylie Macziewski
St. Thomas to host second annual Tommie Invitational Sept. 5-7
9/4/2024 9:30:00 AM | Volleyball
Tommies welcome in Tarleton State, Valparaiso and Northern Illinois looking for first win
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul will host the second annual Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament Sept. 5-7 where St. Thomas will play Tarleton State, Valpo and Northern Illinois. The Tommies open against the Texans on Thursday at 7 p.m., face the Beacons Friday at 7 p.m., and close the tournament versus the Huskies on Saturday at 5 p.m.
All tournament matches will feature Live Stats HERE while only St. Thomas matches will be streamed live through the Summit League Network HERE. Tickets can be found HERE.
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 coach Joy Tietz in her fourth season (14th overall at St. Thomas), assistant coach Kevin Rivas in his third season, and assistant coach Justin Tuohy in his first season. 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 redshirt freshman middle blocker Addie Schmotzer, all 18 Tommie returners saw action in 2023.
First Glimpse at Schmotzer
Despite going 0-3 to start the 2024 season, redshirt freshman Addie Schmotzer flashed her potential on the defensive end while leading the team with 11.0 total blocks over the CEFCU Invitational in Peoria, Ill. She began her collegiate career with six block assists against Southern Indiana and totaled eight block assists and three solo blocks on the weekend. Schmotzer added 12 kills on a .178 hitting percentage for 19.0 points.
Trio of Double-Doubles
Senior Lauren Galvin and sophomore Morgan Kealy combined for three double doubles over the opening weekend of the season. Kealy produced two double-doubles, including a 34-assist and 13-dig performance during the season opener against Southern Indiana and 25 assists and 10 digs against DePaul. Galvin totaled 12 kills and 11 digs Friday against Bradley and ended the weekend with a team-high 29 kills.
The Beginning of the Tommie Invitational
St. Thomas didn't wait long into the NCAA Division I transition, now in year four, before hosting its first non-conference tournament in 2023. The Tommies bring in a new group of programs as the Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament is on its second year.
During the 2023 tournament, St. Thomas went 1-2 with a 3-1 win over Cal Baptist and losses of 3-1 to Montana State and 3-0 to Milwaukee. Sophomore Ellie Gustafson led the Toms in kills in two matches, while junior Kaitlynn Peterson led with 12 in the other. Setters Morgan Kealy and Allie Kopp each recorded an assist-dig double-double during the tournament while junior Megan Wetter totaled 12 blocks over the final two matches.
Preseason Poll
For the second consecutive season, Tommie Volleyball was picked to finish eighth in the 2024 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll, as determined by the conference's head coaches. The Tommies accumulated 17 points, placing them ahead of Oral Roberts. Omaha, the reigning Summit League tournament champion, was selected to finish first with 64 points and eight first-place votes. Denver followed in second with 51 points and one first-place vote, while South Dakota rounded out the top three with 49 points.
Summit League Players to Watch
Senior outside hitter Lauren Galvin and junior defensive specialist/libero Ella Voegele were named the St. Thomas Players to Watch, as announced by the Summit League in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Galvin, from Woodbury, Minn., participated in the first three matches of 2023 before a season-ending injury. She averaged 2.83 kills and 1.50 digs per set at the UIC Tournament, including 13 kills and seven digs against Lindenwood. In 2022, Galvin led the Tommies with 3.12 kills per set, ranking 10th in the league, and contributed 3.49 points per set, placing her 11th in the Summit.
Voegele, hailing from Plymouth, Minn., set the program's Division I single-season records for digs (432) and digs per set (4.36), finishing second in the Summit League in both categories. She also set the program's Division I single-match record with 33 digs in four sets against Oral Roberts, achieving the highest digs per set mark (8.25) and earning the Tommies' first-ever Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week honor.
Returning to Form
St. Thomas sees the return of two major pieces of its squad after Lauren Galvin and Emma Goerger battled back from injury. Both previous members of the Summit League All-Freshman Team, Galvin played in the first three matches of 2023 while Goerger played four before season-ending injuries.
Can You Dig It?
Ella Voegele wasted no time making an impression as the Tommies' libero a season ago. The Plymouth, Minn., native and transfer from UNC Greensboro, set St. Thomas DI single-season records with 432 digs and 4.36 digs per set (72nd in NCAA DI). She also set the program's DI single-match record with 33 digs in four sets at Oral Roberts (Nov. 12), also setting the top mark for digs per set (8.25) and earning the program's first ever Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week. Voegele was second in the Summit League in digs per set and ended the year as a selection to the Summit League Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence.
Fresh Contributors
Setter Morgan Kealy and outside hitter Ellie Gustafson were immediate contributors during their freshman campaigns. Kealy set the Tommies' most DI single-season assists (668) and assists per set (7.11), including four of the program's top five single-match assist totals during the DI era, and totaled the fifth most digs per set (2.37) and sixth most digs (223). She began and ended her freshman season with 40+ assist matches, recording 43 during her collegiate debut at UIC (Aug. 25) and 42 to wrap up 2023 at Oral Roberts (Nov. 12).
Gustafson paced the team and set the program's third most single season kills (240) and fourth most kills per set (2.64), points per set (2.92), and digs per set (2.80) during the DI era. She finished 12th in the Summit League in kills per set, 13th in digs per set and 16th in points per set. Gustafson set career highs of 18 kills against Northern Illinois (Nov. 9) and 23 digs at Oral Roberts.
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 --
All tournament matches will feature Live Stats HERE while only St. Thomas matches will be streamed live through the Summit League Network HERE. Tickets can be found HERE.
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 coach Joy Tietz in her fourth season (14th overall at St. Thomas), assistant coach Kevin Rivas in his third season, and assistant coach Justin Tuohy in his first season. 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 redshirt freshman middle blocker Addie Schmotzer, all 18 Tommie returners saw action in 2023.
First Glimpse at Schmotzer
Despite going 0-3 to start the 2024 season, redshirt freshman Addie Schmotzer flashed her potential on the defensive end while leading the team with 11.0 total blocks over the CEFCU Invitational in Peoria, Ill. She began her collegiate career with six block assists against Southern Indiana and totaled eight block assists and three solo blocks on the weekend. Schmotzer added 12 kills on a .178 hitting percentage for 19.0 points.
Trio of Double-Doubles
Senior Lauren Galvin and sophomore Morgan Kealy combined for three double doubles over the opening weekend of the season. Kealy produced two double-doubles, including a 34-assist and 13-dig performance during the season opener against Southern Indiana and 25 assists and 10 digs against DePaul. Galvin totaled 12 kills and 11 digs Friday against Bradley and ended the weekend with a team-high 29 kills.
The Beginning of the Tommie Invitational
St. Thomas didn't wait long into the NCAA Division I transition, now in year four, before hosting its first non-conference tournament in 2023. The Tommies bring in a new group of programs as the Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament is on its second year.
During the 2023 tournament, St. Thomas went 1-2 with a 3-1 win over Cal Baptist and losses of 3-1 to Montana State and 3-0 to Milwaukee. Sophomore Ellie Gustafson led the Toms in kills in two matches, while junior Kaitlynn Peterson led with 12 in the other. Setters Morgan Kealy and Allie Kopp each recorded an assist-dig double-double during the tournament while junior Megan Wetter totaled 12 blocks over the final two matches.
Preseason Poll
For the second consecutive season, Tommie Volleyball was picked to finish eighth in the 2024 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll, as determined by the conference's head coaches. The Tommies accumulated 17 points, placing them ahead of Oral Roberts. Omaha, the reigning Summit League tournament champion, was selected to finish first with 64 points and eight first-place votes. Denver followed in second with 51 points and one first-place vote, while South Dakota rounded out the top three with 49 points.
Summit League Players to Watch
Senior outside hitter Lauren Galvin and junior defensive specialist/libero Ella Voegele were named the St. Thomas Players to Watch, as announced by the Summit League in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Galvin, from Woodbury, Minn., participated in the first three matches of 2023 before a season-ending injury. She averaged 2.83 kills and 1.50 digs per set at the UIC Tournament, including 13 kills and seven digs against Lindenwood. In 2022, Galvin led the Tommies with 3.12 kills per set, ranking 10th in the league, and contributed 3.49 points per set, placing her 11th in the Summit.
Voegele, hailing from Plymouth, Minn., set the program's Division I single-season records for digs (432) and digs per set (4.36), finishing second in the Summit League in both categories. She also set the program's Division I single-match record with 33 digs in four sets against Oral Roberts, achieving the highest digs per set mark (8.25) and earning the Tommies' first-ever Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week honor.
Returning to Form
St. Thomas sees the return of two major pieces of its squad after Lauren Galvin and Emma Goerger battled back from injury. Both previous members of the Summit League All-Freshman Team, Galvin played in the first three matches of 2023 while Goerger played four before season-ending injuries.
Can You Dig It?
Ella Voegele wasted no time making an impression as the Tommies' libero a season ago. The Plymouth, Minn., native and transfer from UNC Greensboro, set St. Thomas DI single-season records with 432 digs and 4.36 digs per set (72nd in NCAA DI). She also set the program's DI single-match record with 33 digs in four sets at Oral Roberts (Nov. 12), also setting the top mark for digs per set (8.25) and earning the program's first ever Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week. Voegele was second in the Summit League in digs per set and ended the year as a selection to the Summit League Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence.
Fresh Contributors
Setter Morgan Kealy and outside hitter Ellie Gustafson were immediate contributors during their freshman campaigns. Kealy set the Tommies' most DI single-season assists (668) and assists per set (7.11), including four of the program's top five single-match assist totals during the DI era, and totaled the fifth most digs per set (2.37) and sixth most digs (223). She began and ended her freshman season with 40+ assist matches, recording 43 during her collegiate debut at UIC (Aug. 25) and 42 to wrap up 2023 at Oral Roberts (Nov. 12).
Gustafson paced the team and set the program's third most single season kills (240) and fourth most kills per set (2.64), points per set (2.92), and digs per set (2.80) during the DI era. She finished 12th in the Summit League in kills per set, 13th in digs per set and 16th in points per set. Gustafson set career highs of 18 kills against Northern Illinois (Nov. 9) and 23 digs at Oral Roberts.
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 --
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