Kealy tallies program’s first DI triple-double in four-set win at Denver

DENVER - Junior setter Morgan Kealy's career night guided St. Thomas volleyball to a four-set win at Denver (25-18, 28-26, 22-25, 26-24), the program's first ever win in Denver. Kealy recorded the Tommies' first triple-double of the Division I era with 41 assists, 12 digs and 11 kills.

SCORING SUMMARY
Set One: The opening frame featured five early lead changes before St. Thomas took control for good at 12-11. Trailing 10-7, the Tommies broke through with a 9-1 run fueled by two kills apiece from Tezra Rudzitis and Anya Schmidt to build a 16-11 advantage. St. Thomas extended its lead to as many as seven points and closed out the set behind a sharp .438 hitting percentage with just three attack errors, while limiting Denver to .222 hitting to take the opener, 25-18.

Set Two: Denver struck first in the second set, building a 6-3 lead before a service error opened the door for a 6-2 Tommie run. Rudzitis tallied two kills in that stretch to give St. Thomas its first lead at 9-8. After the Pioneers briefly reclaimed the advantage, a series of Denver attack errors sparked a 7-0 Tommie surge capped by an Allie Kopp ace and a Megan Wetter kill. Rudzitis added three consecutive kills late, and a Schmidt finish made it 24-22. Denver fought off two set points, but Wetter answered with another kill before Morgan Kealy delivered back-to-back kills and Camryn Overton closed the marathon frame with a service ace to secure the 28-26 win and a 2-0 match lead.

Set Three: St. Thomas opened strong with a 3-0 start featuring a solo block by Rudzitis, a kill from Schmidt, and an ace by Ellie Gustafson. The Tommies extended their lead to 7-3 before Denver answered with a 7-2 run to take its first lead of the frame. The set saw two more lead changes, the final going to the Pioneers, who reached set point at 24-19. St. Thomas rallied behind late kills from Wetter, Schmidt, and Kealy to pull within three, but a Denver kill ended the comeback bid as the Pioneers took the set 25-22.

Set Four: St. Thomas came out strong in the fourth frame, with Rudzitis, Wetter, and Kealy combining for four early kills to build a 4-1 lead. Denver responded with a 6-2 run to spark nine total lead changes, the last coming as the Pioneers moved ahead 19-18. Facing set point down 24-22, the Tommies delivered a clutch 4-0 closing stretch. Wetter started the rally with a kill, Schmidt tied it at 24-24, and Kopp followed with an ace before Wetter's final swing secured the program's first-ever win in Denver. The Tommies held the Pioneers to just .083 hitting while posting five blocks in the decisive set.

TOMMIE TIDBITS

St. Thomas won its first ever game in Denver after falling in the first four meetings. The Tommies and Pioneers went to five sets in each of the previous two meetings in the Mile High City while Tuesday night's match is the seventh four-set match for St. Thomas over eight Summit League matches this season.
The Tommies hit .259 from the floor, the team's fifth match in conference play and 11th of the season hitting over .250, while the Pioneers hit .183, the sixth time in conference play and ninth of the season the Purple have limited their opponents to under .200.
Junior setter Morgan Kealy recorded the first triple-double of the program's Division I era with 41 assists, a team-high 12 digs and 11 kills. It's also her 38th career double-double as she hit .579 on 19 attempts.
Senior opposite hitter Tezra Rudzitis led the Tommies with 17 kills on .361 hitting to go along with three total blocks. Freshman outside hitter Anya Schmidt hit 15 kills and was one dig shy of a double-double, also adding three blocks. Senior middle blocker Megan Wetter totaled 11 kills on .241 hitting with five total blocks.
Senior libero Ella Voegele tied Kealy with a team-high 12 digs, as she led the Tommies with three aces and added eight assists.

QUOTEABLES
Head Coach Thanh Pham's thoughts after moving into sole possession of second place in the Summit League:
"Denver was a formidable opponent. Our serves helped make a difference and it was a whole team effort in terms of contributions, engagement and overall enjoyment of the game. I'm excited for where our team's headed and if our team keeps evolving, we'll be in a good spot at the end of the year."

UP NEXT
St. Thomas continues its road trip Thursday, Oct. 23 as it takes on Omaha (6-11, 3-5 Summit League) at 7 p.m.

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-- St. Thomas Athletics --

Kealy tallies program’s first DI triple-double in four-set win at Denver

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Team Stats

Tezra Rudzitis

Anya Schmidt

Megan Wetter

Morgan Kealy

Players Mentioned

Ellie Gustafson

Morgan Kealy

Allie Kopp

Camryn Overton

Tezra Rudzitis

Anya Schmidt

Ella Voegele

Megan Wetter

University of St. Thomas Athletics