University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, September 5
St. Paul, Minn.
7:00 p.m. Central
1-3,0-0Summit League
3
vs
0
Tarleton State
0-4,0-0WAC
1
2
3
F
Tarleton St.
17
15
18
0
St. Thomas (MN)
25
25
25
3
Team Stats
TSU
UST
Kills
32
47
Errors
18
11
Attempts
116
122
Hitting %
.121
.295
Points
39.0
56.0
Assists
30
46
Aces
2
5
Blocks
5
4
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH/RS
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
Photo by: Collin Boyles
Stellar offensive attack lands Volleyball sweep over Tarleton State
9/5/2024 10:20:00 PM | Volleyball
Tommies hit .295 with only 11 errors, led by Lauren Galvin with 15 kills and no errors
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The script couldn't have been written any better for the St. Thomas volleyball home opener Thursday night against Tarleton State as a stellar offensive attack led to a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-15, 25-18) to start the Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament in Schoenecker Arena.
The Tommies (1-3, 0-0 Summit) hit .295 on the offensive end with only 11 errors, led by senior Lauren Galvin (in her first match back in Schoenecker Arena since Nov. 19, 2022) with a team-high 15 kills and no errors on 36 attempts for a .417 hitting percentage. Junior Tezra Rudzitis and sophomore Ellie Gustafson added nine kills each while Rudzitis finished with a .263 hitting percentage and Gustafson with a .308 hitting percentage and one error.
As a team, St. Thomas recorded its best hitting percentage since Oct. 15, 2022 when it hit .324 during a 3-0 sweep over Western Illinois. The Purple's team errors are also the fewest since Nov. 12, 2022 with nine during another sweep over WIU.
Tarleton State took the first lead of the night but was answered shortly after as a 7-2 run allowed St. Thomas to take control. Galvin added three kills during the run and another three during a 6-1 run to give the Tommies a 21-12 lead.
Like the first, the Texans took the first lead of set two before Galvin recorded another trio of kills as part of an 8-0 run and an 11-4 lead. After back-and-forth scoring, Gustafson's third kill of the set sparked a 9-2 lead to reach set point, 24-12.
Rudzitis began the final frame with back-to-back kills, assisted by sophomore Morgan Kealy and junior Ella Voegele, while a block assist from Rudzitis and junior Megan Wetter pushed the quick run to 3-0. Tarleton State ended the set-opening skid but saw St. Thomas go on another 3-0 run right after. A slew of errors from the Texans allowed the Tommies to extend the lead to nine, 21-12, before Gustafson closed the win with her ninth kill of the night.
Up Next
The Tommies return to Schoenecker Arena for another 7 p.m. first serve against Valparaiso, who won its tournament opener Thursday against Northern Illinois in five sets. Tickets for the matches can be found HERE.
Top Tommies
· Lauren Galvin led the Tommies with 15 kills, her most since back-to-back 15-kill performances Oct. 15 and Oct. 20, 2022, and totaled her best hitting percentage since back-to-back matches hitting at least .421 Oct. 7 and 9, 2021. It's the first time in her career (65 matches) she has recorded no errors. Galvin also chipped in eight digs on the defensive end.
· Ellie Gustafson, who made her season debut Thursday, has now hit at least nine kills in 16 of 28 career matches while she's hit one error or fewer in three. She was one kill away from a double-double as she totaled 14 digs to go along with two assists and one service ace.
· Morgan Kealy set a season high 35 assists, which ranks as the 10th highest total in a match for St. Thomas in the Division I era. She also added four kills and a .571 hitting percentage, four digs, tied a career high three service aces, and one block assist.
· Tezra Rudzitis finished with at least eight kills for the fourth straight match to start the season and 11 consecutive dating back to last season. She hit at least .263 in six of the past 11 matches.
· Ella Voegele continued to flash on the defensive end with a team high 22 digs while Megan Wetter led with two total blocks, one solo and two assisted.
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 Tommies (1-3, 0-0 Summit) hit .295 on the offensive end with only 11 errors, led by senior Lauren Galvin (in her first match back in Schoenecker Arena since Nov. 19, 2022) with a team-high 15 kills and no errors on 36 attempts for a .417 hitting percentage. Junior Tezra Rudzitis and sophomore Ellie Gustafson added nine kills each while Rudzitis finished with a .263 hitting percentage and Gustafson with a .308 hitting percentage and one error.
As a team, St. Thomas recorded its best hitting percentage since Oct. 15, 2022 when it hit .324 during a 3-0 sweep over Western Illinois. The Purple's team errors are also the fewest since Nov. 12, 2022 with nine during another sweep over WIU.
Tarleton State took the first lead of the night but was answered shortly after as a 7-2 run allowed St. Thomas to take control. Galvin added three kills during the run and another three during a 6-1 run to give the Tommies a 21-12 lead.
Like the first, the Texans took the first lead of set two before Galvin recorded another trio of kills as part of an 8-0 run and an 11-4 lead. After back-and-forth scoring, Gustafson's third kill of the set sparked a 9-2 lead to reach set point, 24-12.
Rudzitis began the final frame with back-to-back kills, assisted by sophomore Morgan Kealy and junior Ella Voegele, while a block assist from Rudzitis and junior Megan Wetter pushed the quick run to 3-0. Tarleton State ended the set-opening skid but saw St. Thomas go on another 3-0 run right after. A slew of errors from the Texans allowed the Tommies to extend the lead to nine, 21-12, before Gustafson closed the win with her ninth kill of the night.
Up Next
The Tommies return to Schoenecker Arena for another 7 p.m. first serve against Valparaiso, who won its tournament opener Thursday against Northern Illinois in five sets. Tickets for the matches can be found HERE.
Top Tommies
· Lauren Galvin led the Tommies with 15 kills, her most since back-to-back 15-kill performances Oct. 15 and Oct. 20, 2022, and totaled her best hitting percentage since back-to-back matches hitting at least .421 Oct. 7 and 9, 2021. It's the first time in her career (65 matches) she has recorded no errors. Galvin also chipped in eight digs on the defensive end.
· Ellie Gustafson, who made her season debut Thursday, has now hit at least nine kills in 16 of 28 career matches while she's hit one error or fewer in three. She was one kill away from a double-double as she totaled 14 digs to go along with two assists and one service ace.
· Morgan Kealy set a season high 35 assists, which ranks as the 10th highest total in a match for St. Thomas in the Division I era. She also added four kills and a .571 hitting percentage, four digs, tied a career high three service aces, and one block assist.
· Tezra Rudzitis finished with at least eight kills for the fourth straight match to start the season and 11 consecutive dating back to last season. She hit at least .263 in six of the past 11 matches.
· Ella Voegele continued to flash on the defensive end with a team high 22 digs while Megan Wetter led with two total blocks, one solo and two assisted.
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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