University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, September 6
St. Paul, Minn.
7:00 p.m. Central
2-3,0-0Summit League
3
vs
2
Valparaiso
3-2,0-0MVC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Valparaiso
22
19
25
25
12
2
St. Thomas (MN)
25
25
17
15
15
3
Team Stats
VALPO
UST
Kills
63
56
Errors
29
25
Attempts
182
192
Hitting %
.187
.161
Points
82.0
71.0
Assists
60
56
Aces
8
5
Blocks
11
10
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
18
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
9
Kills
10
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH/RS
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
Photo by: Corina Sandy
Volleyball prevails in five sets to continue perfect Tommie Invitational
9/6/2024 10:38:00 PM | Volleyball
Four Tommies reach double-digit kills, Voegele tallies 30 digs and Kealy adds 46 assists
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Thomas Volleyball extended its perfect start to the Tommie Invitational with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Valparaiso on Friday night (25-22, 25-19, 17-25, 15-25, 15-12). The Tommies improved to 2-3 on the season, while Valpo dropped to 3-2.
Senior Lauren Galvin continued her strong play with a team-high 18 kills on a .230 hitting percentage and 14 digs, marking her second double-double of the season and 14th of her career. Junior Tezra Rudzitis followed closely with 15 kills on a team-high .324 hitting percentage, adding four block assists and two digs. Junior Megan Wetter contributed 11 kills on a .300 hitting percentage and set a career high with nine total blocks (one solo and eight assisted).
Junior Ella Voegele led the defense with 30 digs, the second-highest mark in the program's Division I era, bringing her career total to 996. Sophomore Morgan Kealy matched her career high with 46 assists, which ranks second for a single match in the program's Division I history.
The match opened with Rudzitis securing the first kill as part of a 2-0 run, but Valpo responded with five straight points. The Tommies fought back to tie the set at 12-12, and an attack error followed by two consecutive service aces from sophomore Ellie Gustafson gave St. Thomas a 20-17 lead before holding on to win the set 25-22.
In set two, Valpo led early, but a 5-0 run by St. Thomas, fueled by kills from Galvin and Wetter, shifted momentum. The Beacons briefly regained the lead, but the Tommies surged ahead with seven straight points, ultimately sealing the set with a service ace from Gustafson for a 25-19 win.
Despite a .200 hitting percentage in the third set, the Tommies couldn't hold off Valpo, who took the set 25-17 after a 7-1 run. Valpo also claimed set four, overcoming an early Tommie lead to win 25-15, forcing a decisive fifth set.
Valpo carried momentum into the fifth set, taking an early 4-1 lead. However, a Valpo attack error sparked a four-point run for St. Thomas. After three lead changes, a block assist by Gustafson and Wetter gave the Tommies an 8-7 edge. Valpo tied the set at 11-11, but a kill from Gustafson ignited a 4-1 run to close out the match, with the final point upheld after a Valpo challenge.
Up Next
St. Thomas closes out the Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament at 5 p.m. Saturday against Northern Illinois. NIU went 1-1 through the first two days of the tournament, falling to Valpo on Thursday before beating Tarleton State on Friday. Tickets for the final matches can be found HERE.
Top Tommies
· Lauren Galvin led the Tommies in kills for the fourth straight match, totaling a season high 18 on 61 attempts with four errors for a .230 hitting percentage. She added 14 digs for her second double-double of the season and 14th of her career.
· Junior Ella Voegele recorded the program's second-best dig performance of the DI era with a team best 30, which is the second most for her since joining St. Thomas in 2023. Her 30 digs are also the most for St. Thomas in a five-set match since 2021. Voegele is four digs shy of 1,000 in her career, as she entered her first season at St. Thomas with 454.
· Morgan Kealy tied a career high 46 assists, which ranks second for the program in a single match during the DI era. She now has five 40+ assist matches in her career, which are five of the top six single-match performances for the Tommies.
· Tezra Rudzitis finished with a season high 15 kills and a team best .324 hitting percentage, giving away four errors on 34 total attacks. Her streak of at least eight kills now stretches back 12 matches. Rudzitis also chipped in on the defensive end with four block assists and two digs.
· Megan Wetter totaled 11 kills on a .300 hitting percentage and led the team with a career high nine total blocks, one solo and a career high eight assisted. She has six career matches with at least five block assists.
· Ellie Gustafson continued to add on the offensive end with 10 kills, hitting at least nine in 17 of 29 career matches. She chipped in seven digs, a team high three service aces, two block assists and two assists.
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 --
Senior Lauren Galvin continued her strong play with a team-high 18 kills on a .230 hitting percentage and 14 digs, marking her second double-double of the season and 14th of her career. Junior Tezra Rudzitis followed closely with 15 kills on a team-high .324 hitting percentage, adding four block assists and two digs. Junior Megan Wetter contributed 11 kills on a .300 hitting percentage and set a career high with nine total blocks (one solo and eight assisted).
Junior Ella Voegele led the defense with 30 digs, the second-highest mark in the program's Division I era, bringing her career total to 996. Sophomore Morgan Kealy matched her career high with 46 assists, which ranks second for a single match in the program's Division I history.
The match opened with Rudzitis securing the first kill as part of a 2-0 run, but Valpo responded with five straight points. The Tommies fought back to tie the set at 12-12, and an attack error followed by two consecutive service aces from sophomore Ellie Gustafson gave St. Thomas a 20-17 lead before holding on to win the set 25-22.
In set two, Valpo led early, but a 5-0 run by St. Thomas, fueled by kills from Galvin and Wetter, shifted momentum. The Beacons briefly regained the lead, but the Tommies surged ahead with seven straight points, ultimately sealing the set with a service ace from Gustafson for a 25-19 win.
Despite a .200 hitting percentage in the third set, the Tommies couldn't hold off Valpo, who took the set 25-17 after a 7-1 run. Valpo also claimed set four, overcoming an early Tommie lead to win 25-15, forcing a decisive fifth set.
Valpo carried momentum into the fifth set, taking an early 4-1 lead. However, a Valpo attack error sparked a four-point run for St. Thomas. After three lead changes, a block assist by Gustafson and Wetter gave the Tommies an 8-7 edge. Valpo tied the set at 11-11, but a kill from Gustafson ignited a 4-1 run to close out the match, with the final point upheld after a Valpo challenge.
Up Next
St. Thomas closes out the Tommie Invitational Volleyball Tournament at 5 p.m. Saturday against Northern Illinois. NIU went 1-1 through the first two days of the tournament, falling to Valpo on Thursday before beating Tarleton State on Friday. Tickets for the final matches can be found HERE.
Top Tommies
· Lauren Galvin led the Tommies in kills for the fourth straight match, totaling a season high 18 on 61 attempts with four errors for a .230 hitting percentage. She added 14 digs for her second double-double of the season and 14th of her career.
· Junior Ella Voegele recorded the program's second-best dig performance of the DI era with a team best 30, which is the second most for her since joining St. Thomas in 2023. Her 30 digs are also the most for St. Thomas in a five-set match since 2021. Voegele is four digs shy of 1,000 in her career, as she entered her first season at St. Thomas with 454.
· Morgan Kealy tied a career high 46 assists, which ranks second for the program in a single match during the DI era. She now has five 40+ assist matches in her career, which are five of the top six single-match performances for the Tommies.
· Tezra Rudzitis finished with a season high 15 kills and a team best .324 hitting percentage, giving away four errors on 34 total attacks. Her streak of at least eight kills now stretches back 12 matches. Rudzitis also chipped in on the defensive end with four block assists and two digs.
· Megan Wetter totaled 11 kills on a .300 hitting percentage and led the team with a career high nine total blocks, one solo and a career high eight assisted. She has six career matches with at least five block assists.
· Ellie Gustafson continued to add on the offensive end with 10 kills, hitting at least nine in 17 of 29 career matches. She chipped in seven digs, a team high three service aces, two block assists and two assists.
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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