University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, August 29
Minneapolis, Minn.
3:00 p.m. CT
vs
Ball State
Tommie Volleyball begins 2025 schedule at Minnesota Tournament
8/27/2025 10:40:00 AM | Volleyball
St. Thomas to face Ball State, Cal Poly and No. 11 Minnesota from Aug. 29-31
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Tommie Volleyball begins its 23rd season under head coach Thanh Pham with the Golden Gopher Invitational August 29-31. St. Thomas' first full season of NCAA Division I eligibility starts with matches against Ball State on Friday, Cal Poly on Saturday, and No. 11 Minnesota on Sunday at the Maturi Pavilion.
Live Stats: Golden Gopher Invitational
Watch: Big Ten Plus
Series History
St. Thomas and Ball State have played once all-time, coming during the first season of the NCAA DI transition in 2021. The Tommies and Cardinals also opened the 2021 season, a 3-0 (22-25, 10-25, 13-25) win by Ball State at the GBD Invite hosted by Green Bay.
St. Thomas and Minnesota have played twice during regular season action since 2021, both wins by the Gophers. Most recently, the two played Sept. 10, 2024, a 3-0 (20-25, 16-25, 21-25) win by No. 19 Minnesota at Maturi Pavilion. Morgan Kealy recorded one of her 19 season double-doubles in the match with 20 assists and 10 digs.
St. Thomas and Cal Poly have never played.
Ready to Dance
With the transition in the rear-view mirror, St. Thomas is beginning its first season as a postseason-tournament-eligible program within NCAA Division I. That includes the Summit League Tournament, in which the Tommies could not participate over the four-season transition period. Initially a five-year transition period, the NCAA Division I Council voted in January in favor of a reduction to the department's provisional period from five to four years. The NCAA later announced in June that St. Thomas had completed its reclassification process and is fully eligible to compete in postseason play, including the Summit League Tournament hosted Nov. 23-25 in Brookings, S.D.
High Preseason Praise
After finishing third in the Summit League standings a season ago, the Tommies were picked to finish third in the 2025 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll. It's the highest preseason selection since joining the league in 2021. St. Thomas totaled 48 points behind South Dakota State with 62 points and 6 first-place votes and South Dakota with 57 points and 3 first-place votes. Setter Morgan Kealy and middle blocker Megan Wetter were named the program's Players to Watch.
Loaded on the Upper End
What Tommie Volleyball has lacked to start the Division I era has now become a strength of the team: 14 of the team's 21 athletes are upperclassmen. Among the upperclassmen, nine are seniors with seven being a part of the program over each of the past four seasons. Kaitlynn Peterson and Ella Voegele transferred into the program before the 2023 season. Of the nine seniors on the roster, all but one call the state of Minnesota home as the eight are from within 45 miles of the St. Thomas campus.
New Era, New Faces
The Tommies bid farewell to their first full four-year Division I class, highlighted by all-league outside hitter Lauren Galvin, who accounted for over 24 percent of the team's kill production.
To reload, Pham welcomes seven newcomers: six freshmen and junior transfer Taylor McNear (App State), who adds depth at libero/defensive specialist. The freshman class includes Emory Brosnahan (Sioux Falls, S.D.), two-time state champion middle blocker Reilly Kurth (Wayzata, Minn.), Houston-area standouts Addison Menefee and Heidi Wingate, Camryn Overton (Indianola, Iowa), and Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year Anya Schmidt (Rogers, Minn.).
Veteran Leadership
Head Coach Thanh Pham enters his 23rd season leading St. Thomas, the longest-tenured head coach in the Summit League. He is set to coach in his 700th career match this season. Pham's culture and patience paid off during the final season of transition as the Tommies put together their most successful Division I campaign. The Purple finished 18-12 overall, becoming just the sixth transitioning program since 2011 to reach at least 18 wins and the first since 2018.
With the exit of 2012 St. Thomas Hall of Fame top assistant coach Joy Tietz, Pham added Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Jackie Richter, a Minnesota prep coaching legend and former University of Minnesota standout, as the next top assistant. Richter most recently served as the head coach at Lakeville North High School where she won the 2017 Minnesota State Championship during four state tournament appearances. She was twice named Minnesota State Coach of the Year (2017, 2022) and was a Minnesota Sports Awards Coach of the Year finalist (2018).
A Breakthrough 2024 Season
- Signature Wins: St. Thomas swept eventual Summit League Tournament champion South Dakota during the regular season, including a historic 3–0 road win in Vermillion. The Tommies also went 3–1 against teams in the league's championship match (2–0 vs. USD, 1–1 vs. SDSU) and handed then-(RV) South Dakota State its first loss after a 22–0 start to the season, the final undefeated team in the NCAA.
- First Power Four Win: The Tommies secured their first victory over a Big Ten and Power Four opponent with a 3–1 decision over Iowa at the Panther Invitational. Prior to the win, UST had been 1-5 against Power Four teams since 2021.
- Non-Conf Tournament Success: UST went 8–3 in non-conference tournaments, winning three straight titles to open the season. The Tommies had not secured a non-con tournament title in the previous 13 competed in since 2021.
Program Firsts and Milestones
- All-Summit Recognition: Junior setter Morgan Kealy became the first Tommie to earn Summit League Setter of the Year. St. Thomas led the league with three First Team All-League selections (Kealy, Lauren Galvin, Megan Wetter) and added two Honorable Mentions (Tezra Rudzitis, Ella Voegele). Redshirt freshman Addie Schmotzer extended the Tommies' streak to four straight seasons with an All-Freshman Team honoree.
- The First 1,000 Stat-Getters of Division I:
o Ella Voegele surpassed 1,000 career digs during the Tommie Invitational and was later named to the CEFCU Invitational All-Tournament Team.
o Lauren Galvin notched her 1,000th career kill behind a career-high 23 against South Dakota.
o Morgan Kealy became the first Tommie in the DI era to reach 1,000 career assists.
- Weekly Awards: St. Thomas earned four Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors, including Galvin (2x Offensive), Voegele (Defensive), and Wetter (Defensive). Prior to the 2024 season, the Tommies totaled one performer of the week honor since joining the league in 2021.
Statistical Leaders
- National Impact: Voegele ranked 42nd nationally in digs (4.77/set), while Kealy finished 78th nationally in assists (9.62/set). Wetter led all transition programs in blocks (1.04/set).
- Summit League Rankings:
o Team: Top three in opponent hitting percentage, assists/set (2nd), kills/set, and digs (1st).
o Individual: Kealy (2nd in assists/set), Voegele (2nd in digs/set), Wetter (5th in hitting pct., 7th in blocks/set), Galvin (7th in kills/set; 3rd in points/set), Rudzitis (8th in hitting pct., 9th in kills/set), Gustafson (9th in digs/set).
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. 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 --
Live Stats: Golden Gopher Invitational
Watch: Big Ten Plus
Series History
St. Thomas and Ball State have played once all-time, coming during the first season of the NCAA DI transition in 2021. The Tommies and Cardinals also opened the 2021 season, a 3-0 (22-25, 10-25, 13-25) win by Ball State at the GBD Invite hosted by Green Bay.
St. Thomas and Minnesota have played twice during regular season action since 2021, both wins by the Gophers. Most recently, the two played Sept. 10, 2024, a 3-0 (20-25, 16-25, 21-25) win by No. 19 Minnesota at Maturi Pavilion. Morgan Kealy recorded one of her 19 season double-doubles in the match with 20 assists and 10 digs.
St. Thomas and Cal Poly have never played.
Ready to Dance
With the transition in the rear-view mirror, St. Thomas is beginning its first season as a postseason-tournament-eligible program within NCAA Division I. That includes the Summit League Tournament, in which the Tommies could not participate over the four-season transition period. Initially a five-year transition period, the NCAA Division I Council voted in January in favor of a reduction to the department's provisional period from five to four years. The NCAA later announced in June that St. Thomas had completed its reclassification process and is fully eligible to compete in postseason play, including the Summit League Tournament hosted Nov. 23-25 in Brookings, S.D.
High Preseason Praise
After finishing third in the Summit League standings a season ago, the Tommies were picked to finish third in the 2025 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll. It's the highest preseason selection since joining the league in 2021. St. Thomas totaled 48 points behind South Dakota State with 62 points and 6 first-place votes and South Dakota with 57 points and 3 first-place votes. Setter Morgan Kealy and middle blocker Megan Wetter were named the program's Players to Watch.
Loaded on the Upper End
What Tommie Volleyball has lacked to start the Division I era has now become a strength of the team: 14 of the team's 21 athletes are upperclassmen. Among the upperclassmen, nine are seniors with seven being a part of the program over each of the past four seasons. Kaitlynn Peterson and Ella Voegele transferred into the program before the 2023 season. Of the nine seniors on the roster, all but one call the state of Minnesota home as the eight are from within 45 miles of the St. Thomas campus.
New Era, New Faces
The Tommies bid farewell to their first full four-year Division I class, highlighted by all-league outside hitter Lauren Galvin, who accounted for over 24 percent of the team's kill production.
To reload, Pham welcomes seven newcomers: six freshmen and junior transfer Taylor McNear (App State), who adds depth at libero/defensive specialist. The freshman class includes Emory Brosnahan (Sioux Falls, S.D.), two-time state champion middle blocker Reilly Kurth (Wayzata, Minn.), Houston-area standouts Addison Menefee and Heidi Wingate, Camryn Overton (Indianola, Iowa), and Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year Anya Schmidt (Rogers, Minn.).
Veteran Leadership
Head Coach Thanh Pham enters his 23rd season leading St. Thomas, the longest-tenured head coach in the Summit League. He is set to coach in his 700th career match this season. Pham's culture and patience paid off during the final season of transition as the Tommies put together their most successful Division I campaign. The Purple finished 18-12 overall, becoming just the sixth transitioning program since 2011 to reach at least 18 wins and the first since 2018.
With the exit of 2012 St. Thomas Hall of Fame top assistant coach Joy Tietz, Pham added Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Jackie Richter, a Minnesota prep coaching legend and former University of Minnesota standout, as the next top assistant. Richter most recently served as the head coach at Lakeville North High School where she won the 2017 Minnesota State Championship during four state tournament appearances. She was twice named Minnesota State Coach of the Year (2017, 2022) and was a Minnesota Sports Awards Coach of the Year finalist (2018).
A Breakthrough 2024 Season
- Signature Wins: St. Thomas swept eventual Summit League Tournament champion South Dakota during the regular season, including a historic 3–0 road win in Vermillion. The Tommies also went 3–1 against teams in the league's championship match (2–0 vs. USD, 1–1 vs. SDSU) and handed then-(RV) South Dakota State its first loss after a 22–0 start to the season, the final undefeated team in the NCAA.
- First Power Four Win: The Tommies secured their first victory over a Big Ten and Power Four opponent with a 3–1 decision over Iowa at the Panther Invitational. Prior to the win, UST had been 1-5 against Power Four teams since 2021.
- Non-Conf Tournament Success: UST went 8–3 in non-conference tournaments, winning three straight titles to open the season. The Tommies had not secured a non-con tournament title in the previous 13 competed in since 2021.
Program Firsts and Milestones
- All-Summit Recognition: Junior setter Morgan Kealy became the first Tommie to earn Summit League Setter of the Year. St. Thomas led the league with three First Team All-League selections (Kealy, Lauren Galvin, Megan Wetter) and added two Honorable Mentions (Tezra Rudzitis, Ella Voegele). Redshirt freshman Addie Schmotzer extended the Tommies' streak to four straight seasons with an All-Freshman Team honoree.
- The First 1,000 Stat-Getters of Division I:
o Ella Voegele surpassed 1,000 career digs during the Tommie Invitational and was later named to the CEFCU Invitational All-Tournament Team.
o Lauren Galvin notched her 1,000th career kill behind a career-high 23 against South Dakota.
o Morgan Kealy became the first Tommie in the DI era to reach 1,000 career assists.
- Weekly Awards: St. Thomas earned four Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors, including Galvin (2x Offensive), Voegele (Defensive), and Wetter (Defensive). Prior to the 2024 season, the Tommies totaled one performer of the week honor since joining the league in 2021.
Statistical Leaders
- National Impact: Voegele ranked 42nd nationally in digs (4.77/set), while Kealy finished 78th nationally in assists (9.62/set). Wetter led all transition programs in blocks (1.04/set).
- Summit League Rankings:
o Team: Top three in opponent hitting percentage, assists/set (2nd), kills/set, and digs (1st).
o Individual: Kealy (2nd in assists/set), Voegele (2nd in digs/set), Wetter (5th in hitting pct., 7th in blocks/set), Galvin (7th in kills/set; 3rd in points/set), Rudzitis (8th in hitting pct., 9th in kills/set), Gustafson (9th in digs/set).
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. 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 --
Players Mentioned
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