University of St. Thomas Athletics
Sunday, November 23
Brookings, S.D.
3:00 p.m. CT
19-9,11-5Summit League
3
vs
0
No. 6 Omaha
10-16,7-9Summit League
1
2
3
F
Omaha
19
18
19
0
St. Thomas (MN)
25
25
25
3
Volleyball takes first postseason win to advance past Omaha, 3-0
11/23/2025 5:23:00 PM | Volleyball
St. Thomas cruises behind nine service aces to move to the Summit League Tournament semifinal
BROOKINGS, S.D. – St. Thomas volleyball's historic season continued Sunday following a 3-0 sweep (25-19, 25-18, 25-19) over No. 6 seed Omaha to advance to the semifinal round of the Summit League Tournament. The Tommies set a Division I era program record 19 wins following a nine-ace performance to lift the team to a third straight win over the Mavericks.
SCORING SUMMARY
Set One: Anya Schmidt set the tone early, scoring three of St. Thomas' first four points to establish a 4-2 lead. Omaha pulled even twice before Ellie Gustafson's first kill sparked a 4-0 Tommie run, highlighted by back-to-back aces from Megan Wetter, to create separation at 10-6. The stretch extended to a 9-3 surge, building a 14-8 advantage.
The Mavericks answered with a 4-0 run to trim the margin to 15-13, but St. Thomas steadied itself with four of the next five points to regain control. Another Gustafson kill initiated a 5-2 closing push, capped by Tezra Rudzitis' third kill of the frame to secure the 25-19 win. The Tommies hit .263 with five aces in the opener.
Set Two: Omaha opened with a 4-2 edge before the teams traded nine straight sideouts. St. Thomas broke through as three consecutive kills from Rudzitis jump-started a 4-0 run and the first Tommie lead of the frame. UNO briefly regained the advantage, but a 6-2 St. Thomas response flipped control back for good.
The Tommies closed strong, using a 5-1 finishing push behind two more kills and a Schmidt ace on set point to clinch the 25-18 victory. Rudzitis powered the attack with six kills, while Schmidt added five.
Set Three: Omaha again struck first with a 4-1 lead before four consecutive sideouts steadied the frame. Schmidt delivered a kill to ignite a 4-0 run, followed by two block assists and a kill from setter Morgan Kealy to give St. Thomas a 7-6 advantage. The Mavericks tied the set twice before St. Thomas created separation with a 6-2 surge.
The Tommies delivered the decisive blow with a 6-1 run—featuring two kills and a block assist from Addie Schmotzer—to build a seven-point cushion at 21-14. St. Thomas limited Omaha to .100 hitting in the stanza and totaled six block assists on the way to the 25-19 win and sweep.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
QUOTEABLES
Head Coach Thanh Pham's thoughts following the program's first ever win at the Summit League Tournament
"I'm extremely happy, extremely proud. We have nine seniors that really set the tone for our program, not to mention the underclassmen that really put in the work. It's been five years. It's fun to be back in the postseason. Playing meaningful games at the end of November is a fun atmosphere for sure."
UP NEXT
St. Thomas advances to the semifinal round of the Summit League Tournament to face No. 2 seed South Dakota at 3 p.m. at First Bank & Trust Arena.
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Volleyball, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @tommievball. Tommie Athletics is now available on TikTok at @TommieSports.
JOIN US
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommies' 2025 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
SCORING SUMMARY
Set One: Anya Schmidt set the tone early, scoring three of St. Thomas' first four points to establish a 4-2 lead. Omaha pulled even twice before Ellie Gustafson's first kill sparked a 4-0 Tommie run, highlighted by back-to-back aces from Megan Wetter, to create separation at 10-6. The stretch extended to a 9-3 surge, building a 14-8 advantage.
The Mavericks answered with a 4-0 run to trim the margin to 15-13, but St. Thomas steadied itself with four of the next five points to regain control. Another Gustafson kill initiated a 5-2 closing push, capped by Tezra Rudzitis' third kill of the frame to secure the 25-19 win. The Tommies hit .263 with five aces in the opener.
Set Two: Omaha opened with a 4-2 edge before the teams traded nine straight sideouts. St. Thomas broke through as three consecutive kills from Rudzitis jump-started a 4-0 run and the first Tommie lead of the frame. UNO briefly regained the advantage, but a 6-2 St. Thomas response flipped control back for good.
The Tommies closed strong, using a 5-1 finishing push behind two more kills and a Schmidt ace on set point to clinch the 25-18 victory. Rudzitis powered the attack with six kills, while Schmidt added five.
Set Three: Omaha again struck first with a 4-1 lead before four consecutive sideouts steadied the frame. Schmidt delivered a kill to ignite a 4-0 run, followed by two block assists and a kill from setter Morgan Kealy to give St. Thomas a 7-6 advantage. The Mavericks tied the set twice before St. Thomas created separation with a 6-2 surge.
The Tommies delivered the decisive blow with a 6-1 run—featuring two kills and a block assist from Addie Schmotzer—to build a seven-point cushion at 21-14. St. Thomas limited Omaha to .100 hitting in the stanza and totaled six block assists on the way to the 25-19 win and sweep.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
- St. Thomas secured its first-ever Summit League Tournament victory, completing a 3-0 season sweep of Omaha. Before 2025, the Tommies had lost eight straight to the Mavericks.
- The Tommies' 19th win marks a new Division I era program record, surpassing last season's 18 victories.
- St. Thomas hit .300 for the match with seven blocks and nine service aces, while holding Omaha to .190 hitting, zero aces and eight attack errors.
- Tezra Rudzitis led the offense with 13 kills on .333 hitting, followed closely by Anya Schmidt with 12 kills on a .375 percentage.
- Megan Wetter finished with seven kills and two blocks, while Ellie Gustafson added six kills and a team-high 10 digs.
- Addie Schmotzer controlled the net with a team-leading four blocks, and Morgan Kealy directed the attack with 31 assists, two kills and seven digs.
QUOTEABLES
Head Coach Thanh Pham's thoughts following the program's first ever win at the Summit League Tournament
"I'm extremely happy, extremely proud. We have nine seniors that really set the tone for our program, not to mention the underclassmen that really put in the work. It's been five years. It's fun to be back in the postseason. Playing meaningful games at the end of November is a fun atmosphere for sure."
UP NEXT
St. Thomas advances to the semifinal round of the Summit League Tournament to face No. 2 seed South Dakota at 3 p.m. at First Bank & Trust Arena.
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Volleyball, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @tommievball. Tommie Athletics is now available on TikTok at @TommieSports.
JOIN US
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommies' 2025 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
Team Stats
OMA
UST
Kills
35
42
Errors
16
12
Attempts
100
100
Hitting %
.190
.300
Points
41.0
58.0
Assists
34
40
Aces
0
9
Blocks
6
7
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballRS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballMB
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