University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, September 18
Evanston, Ill.
7:00 p.m. CT
at
Northwestern
Photo by: Collin Boyles
Volleyball concludes non-conference schedule at Northwestern, vs Campbell
9/17/2025 10:28:00 AM | Volleyball
Tommies aim to extend DI-era best six-match winning streak
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Tommie Volleyball prepares for its final non-conference matches of the 2025 season with a trip Sept. 18-19 to compete at the Northwestern Tournament in Evanston, Ill. St. Thomas begins the tournament Thursday against host Northwestern at 7 p.m. before Friday's finale against Campbell at 4 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Live Media
Live Stats: at Northwestern | vs Campbell
Stream/Live Video: at Northwestern
Series History
St. Thomas has never played Northwestern or Campbell.
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 were not able to 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.
2-of-3 for the Tommie Offense
Senior middle blocker Megan Wetter made it two-for-three for the Tommies after being named the Summit League Offensive Player of the Week. Teammate and senior opposite hitter Tezra Rudzitis earned the offensive award following the opening weekend of the season. Wetter has now won the award twice in her career while it's the seventh overall player of the week honor for the program since 2023. She earned the recognition after being named to the Bryant Invitational All-Tournament Team, where she powered the Tommies to a 3-0 weekend with wins over Army, Bryant, and Stony Brook. Wetter averaged 3.82 kills per set, 4.41 points per set, and hit .536 while recording at least 12 kills and a .400 attack percentage in every match. She leads the Summit League and ranks 19th nationally with a .443 hitting percentage, the only player in the conference above .400.
Dominating Non-Conference Play
St. Thomas has won six straight matches, marking its longest winning streak since joining Division I in 2021. The Tommies won their second straight tournament title with three all-tournament team selections in each tournament, including both tournament MVPs. After going 7-29 through the program's first 13 non-conference tournaments of the DI era, the Tommies have now gone 14-3 through the previous six tournaments dating back to Sept. 5, 2024. During that span, St. Thomas has gone a perfect 14-0 through five of those tournaments with the only losses coming at the Golden Gopher Invitational to start this season.
Senior libero/defensive specialist Ella Voegele was selected as the Bryant Invitational MVP, joining Wetter and junior setter Morgan Kealy on the All-Tournament Team. Voegele finishing the tournament with a 16-dig performance against Stony Brook. On the weekend, she averaged 3.18 digs and 0.82 assists per set, and held a perfect serve receive on 33 attempts.
In addition to Wetter's Player of the Week caliber weekend, Kealy led the team with 9.18 assists and 4.27 digs per set, recording double-doubles in all three matches to raise her career total to 33 double-doubles. She added 14 total kills (1.27 k/s) and 4 service aces. Kealy was two kills shy of the program's first triple-double to begin the Bryant Invitational, finishing with 32 assists, a team season-high 21 digs, 8 kills, and 3 service aces.
Program's New DI Blocking Leader
Megan Wetter became the program's DI-era leader in career blocks over the weekend, totaling seven total blocks over three matches with the final two blocks putting her at 201 for her career. She's the second Tommie to surpass the 200-block mark during the DI era, joining Ellie Dammann (2021-23) who finished her career with 200.
Tops in the Summit League
St. Thomas is the only program in the Summit League to rank among the top two in the conference in each of points per set (1st/17.76), kills per set (1st/14.24), hitting percentage (2nd/.254), assists per set (2nd/12.42), and service aces per set (2nd/2.06). In addition, the Tommies also rank tied for third with 15.03 digs per set. On the defensive end, St. Thomas leads the league limiting opponents to 10.27 assists per set, is second allowing 11.48 kills per set and third allowing 1.30 service aces per set.
All-Around Power
Of the top 10 individuals among the league in kills per set, only St. Thomas has multiple athletes on the list. While six programs have one player among the top 10, the Purple feature four totaling at least 2.82 kills per set or more. Tezra Rudzitis leads the team and is sixth in the league with 3.09 k/s, followed by junior outside hitter Ellie Gustafson who is seventh in the league with 2.97 k/s, freshman Anya Schmidt who is ninth with 2.88 k/s and Megan Wetter who is 10th with 2.82 k/s. Since 2021, St. Thomas has not had three athletes average 2.65 k/s or better during the same season.
Ace Ace Baby
Freshman outside hitter Anya Schmidt has not only made her mark at the net but also at the serving line. She began the Bryant Invitational with five service aces against Army, tying the program's DI single-match record, before breaking that mark with six aces to close the tournament against Stony Brook. Three Tommies previously totaled five service aces since 2022: Emma Goerger in 2022, and Tezra Rudzitis and Megan Wetter in 2023.
Season-Opening Double-Digit Kill Streak
Junior outside hitter Ellie Gustafson opened the 2025 campaign with six straight double-digit kill performances, becoming the first Tommie to do so since Taylor Lewis in 2016 (11 straight). The streak, which came to an end to start the Bryant Invitational, was also the longest of the Division I era, surpassing Lauren Galvin's three-match run to begin 2023. Gustafson is second on the team with 2.97 kills per set (98 kills). She posted a season-high 16 kills against Ball State, added two 14-kill outings, and recorded 10 kills in three additional matches to begin the season.
Rudzit-Is the Player of the Week
Senior opposite Tezra Rudzitis earned her first career Summit League Offensive Player of the Week honor after a standout opening weekend at the Golden Gopher Invitational. She became just the third Tommie in the Division I era to open a season with three straight double-digit kill matches, averaging 3.58 kills per set on a .305 attack percentage. Rudzitis posted 14 kills against Ball State, hit .550 with 11 kills against Cal Poly, and tied her career high with 18 kills against No. 11 Minnesota. She totaled 45.0 points across three matches, adding three blocks, and was also named to the All-Tournament Team. The honor marks the third Summit League offensive weekly award and sixth overall in program history.
Taking 1 from No. 11
St. Thomas battled No. 11 Minnesota to four sets in a 3-1 loss, marking the program's first-ever set victory against a nationally ranked opponent. Rudzitis tied her career high with 18 kills on .263 hitting, capping a weekend that earned her Golden Gopher Invitational All-Tournament Team honors. Freshman outside Anya Schmidt posted her first career double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs, while junior Ellie Gustafson recorded her third straight double-digit kill match to open the season.
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 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.
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, 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 during DI:
§ Ella Voegele surpassed 1,000 career digs during the Tommie Invitational and was later named to the CEFCU Invitational All-Tournament Team.
§ Lauren Galvin notched her 1,000th career kill behind a career-high 23 against South Dakota.
§ 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:
§ Team: Top three in opponent hitting percentage, assists/set (2nd), kills/set, and digs (1st).
§ 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 Media
Live Stats: at Northwestern | vs Campbell
Stream/Live Video: at Northwestern
Series History
St. Thomas has never played Northwestern or Campbell.
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 were not able to 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.
2-of-3 for the Tommie Offense
Senior middle blocker Megan Wetter made it two-for-three for the Tommies after being named the Summit League Offensive Player of the Week. Teammate and senior opposite hitter Tezra Rudzitis earned the offensive award following the opening weekend of the season. Wetter has now won the award twice in her career while it's the seventh overall player of the week honor for the program since 2023. She earned the recognition after being named to the Bryant Invitational All-Tournament Team, where she powered the Tommies to a 3-0 weekend with wins over Army, Bryant, and Stony Brook. Wetter averaged 3.82 kills per set, 4.41 points per set, and hit .536 while recording at least 12 kills and a .400 attack percentage in every match. She leads the Summit League and ranks 19th nationally with a .443 hitting percentage, the only player in the conference above .400.
Dominating Non-Conference Play
St. Thomas has won six straight matches, marking its longest winning streak since joining Division I in 2021. The Tommies won their second straight tournament title with three all-tournament team selections in each tournament, including both tournament MVPs. After going 7-29 through the program's first 13 non-conference tournaments of the DI era, the Tommies have now gone 14-3 through the previous six tournaments dating back to Sept. 5, 2024. During that span, St. Thomas has gone a perfect 14-0 through five of those tournaments with the only losses coming at the Golden Gopher Invitational to start this season.
Senior libero/defensive specialist Ella Voegele was selected as the Bryant Invitational MVP, joining Wetter and junior setter Morgan Kealy on the All-Tournament Team. Voegele finishing the tournament with a 16-dig performance against Stony Brook. On the weekend, she averaged 3.18 digs and 0.82 assists per set, and held a perfect serve receive on 33 attempts.
In addition to Wetter's Player of the Week caliber weekend, Kealy led the team with 9.18 assists and 4.27 digs per set, recording double-doubles in all three matches to raise her career total to 33 double-doubles. She added 14 total kills (1.27 k/s) and 4 service aces. Kealy was two kills shy of the program's first triple-double to begin the Bryant Invitational, finishing with 32 assists, a team season-high 21 digs, 8 kills, and 3 service aces.
Program's New DI Blocking Leader
Megan Wetter became the program's DI-era leader in career blocks over the weekend, totaling seven total blocks over three matches with the final two blocks putting her at 201 for her career. She's the second Tommie to surpass the 200-block mark during the DI era, joining Ellie Dammann (2021-23) who finished her career with 200.
Tops in the Summit League
St. Thomas is the only program in the Summit League to rank among the top two in the conference in each of points per set (1st/17.76), kills per set (1st/14.24), hitting percentage (2nd/.254), assists per set (2nd/12.42), and service aces per set (2nd/2.06). In addition, the Tommies also rank tied for third with 15.03 digs per set. On the defensive end, St. Thomas leads the league limiting opponents to 10.27 assists per set, is second allowing 11.48 kills per set and third allowing 1.30 service aces per set.
All-Around Power
Of the top 10 individuals among the league in kills per set, only St. Thomas has multiple athletes on the list. While six programs have one player among the top 10, the Purple feature four totaling at least 2.82 kills per set or more. Tezra Rudzitis leads the team and is sixth in the league with 3.09 k/s, followed by junior outside hitter Ellie Gustafson who is seventh in the league with 2.97 k/s, freshman Anya Schmidt who is ninth with 2.88 k/s and Megan Wetter who is 10th with 2.82 k/s. Since 2021, St. Thomas has not had three athletes average 2.65 k/s or better during the same season.
Ace Ace Baby
Freshman outside hitter Anya Schmidt has not only made her mark at the net but also at the serving line. She began the Bryant Invitational with five service aces against Army, tying the program's DI single-match record, before breaking that mark with six aces to close the tournament against Stony Brook. Three Tommies previously totaled five service aces since 2022: Emma Goerger in 2022, and Tezra Rudzitis and Megan Wetter in 2023.
Season-Opening Double-Digit Kill Streak
Junior outside hitter Ellie Gustafson opened the 2025 campaign with six straight double-digit kill performances, becoming the first Tommie to do so since Taylor Lewis in 2016 (11 straight). The streak, which came to an end to start the Bryant Invitational, was also the longest of the Division I era, surpassing Lauren Galvin's three-match run to begin 2023. Gustafson is second on the team with 2.97 kills per set (98 kills). She posted a season-high 16 kills against Ball State, added two 14-kill outings, and recorded 10 kills in three additional matches to begin the season.
Rudzit-Is the Player of the Week
Senior opposite Tezra Rudzitis earned her first career Summit League Offensive Player of the Week honor after a standout opening weekend at the Golden Gopher Invitational. She became just the third Tommie in the Division I era to open a season with three straight double-digit kill matches, averaging 3.58 kills per set on a .305 attack percentage. Rudzitis posted 14 kills against Ball State, hit .550 with 11 kills against Cal Poly, and tied her career high with 18 kills against No. 11 Minnesota. She totaled 45.0 points across three matches, adding three blocks, and was also named to the All-Tournament Team. The honor marks the third Summit League offensive weekly award and sixth overall in program history.
Taking 1 from No. 11
St. Thomas battled No. 11 Minnesota to four sets in a 3-1 loss, marking the program's first-ever set victory against a nationally ranked opponent. Rudzitis tied her career high with 18 kills on .263 hitting, capping a weekend that earned her Golden Gopher Invitational All-Tournament Team honors. Freshman outside Anya Schmidt posted her first career double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs, while junior Ellie Gustafson recorded her third straight double-digit kill match to open the season.
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 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.
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, 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 during DI:
§ Ella Voegele surpassed 1,000 career digs during the Tommie Invitational and was later named to the CEFCU Invitational All-Tournament Team.
§ Lauren Galvin notched her 1,000th career kill behind a career-high 23 against South Dakota.
§ 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:
§ Team: Top three in opponent hitting percentage, assists/set (2nd), kills/set, and digs (1st).
§ 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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