University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, September 26
Grand Forks, N.D.
1:00 p.m. CT
3-8,1-1Summit League
3
at
1
North Dakota
6-7,0-2Summit League
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas (MN) | 22 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| North Dakota | 25 | 21 | 19 | 12 | 1 |
Photo by: Collin Boyles
Volleyball comes alive in four sets at North Dakota for first Summit League win
9/26/2026 3:51:00 PM | Volleyball
Kurth hits career high nine kills while Kealy and Schmidt notch three straight double-doubles
GRAND FORKS, N.D. — St. Thomas volleyball came away with three straight set wins Saturday afternoon to notch its first Summit League win of the season, a 3-1 decision (22-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-12) at North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D. Sophomore Reilly Kurth hit a career high nine kills on .438 hitting while senior Morgan Kealy and sophomore Anya Schmidt each recorded their third straight double-double, including four straight for Kealy.
TOP TOMMIES
Anya Schmidt
- Recorded 10 or more kills in nine consecutive matches.
- Finished with a team-high 10 kills and 10 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
- Accumulated at least 12 points in nine straight matches, totaling 12 against the Fighting Hawks.
Reilly Kurth
- Recorded a career-high nine kills on a .438 hitting percentage.
Morgan Kealy
- Totaled 37 assists and 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the season and 53rd of her career.
Taylor McNear
- Led the Tommies with 20 digs, her third match this season with at least 20.
HOW IT HAPPENED
St. Thomas built a 16-11 lead in the first set, getting kills from Schmidt, Addie Schmotzer, Emory Brosnahan and Kurth before Brosnahan's service ace. UND tied it at 18-18 and later moved in front 21-20, though Schmidt answered with a kill to make it 21-21. The set was even again at 22-22 after a Fighting Hawks service error, but UND scored the final three points to take it 25-22.
A 15-12 deficit in the second set was erased by St. Thomas winning seven of the next eight rallies, moving ahead 19-16 behind kills from Schmotzer, Schmidt, Kealy and Kurth. UND pulled within 20-19, but St. Thomas answered with an Ellie Gustafson kill and finished the set on another Gustafson kill from Kealy for a 25-21 win.
After falling behind 14-12 in the third set, St. Thomas tied it on a Schmidt kill and moved in front during Audrey Kocon's serve. St. Thomas kept the advantage with late kills from Gustafson and Kurth around UND attack errors. St. Thomas won the set 25-19.
St. Thomas built an 8-1 lead in the fourth set by scoring seven straight points after a 1-1 score, with Kira Brundage serving two aces and Kurth, Kocon and Schmidt adding kills. A later 7-of-8 stretch moved St. Thomas from an 11-4 lead to 18-5, aided by a Gustafson kill and UND attack errors. The Fighting Hawks scored four straight to reach 19-11, but St. Thomas answered with six of the final seven points and closed the set 25-12 on Miriam Unongo's kill from Kealy.
UP NEXT
Schoenecker Arena features rematches of the 2025 Summit League Tournament semifinal and final matches during its home conference opener Oct. 1 and 3. St. Thomas first hosts South Dakota on Thursday at 7 p.m. before taking on South Dakota State on Saturday at 12 p.m.
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' 2026 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
TOP TOMMIES
Anya Schmidt
- Recorded 10 or more kills in nine consecutive matches.
- Finished with a team-high 10 kills and 10 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
- Accumulated at least 12 points in nine straight matches, totaling 12 against the Fighting Hawks.
Reilly Kurth
- Recorded a career-high nine kills on a .438 hitting percentage.
Morgan Kealy
- Totaled 37 assists and 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the season and 53rd of her career.
Taylor McNear
- Led the Tommies with 20 digs, her third match this season with at least 20.
HOW IT HAPPENED
St. Thomas built a 16-11 lead in the first set, getting kills from Schmidt, Addie Schmotzer, Emory Brosnahan and Kurth before Brosnahan's service ace. UND tied it at 18-18 and later moved in front 21-20, though Schmidt answered with a kill to make it 21-21. The set was even again at 22-22 after a Fighting Hawks service error, but UND scored the final three points to take it 25-22.
A 15-12 deficit in the second set was erased by St. Thomas winning seven of the next eight rallies, moving ahead 19-16 behind kills from Schmotzer, Schmidt, Kealy and Kurth. UND pulled within 20-19, but St. Thomas answered with an Ellie Gustafson kill and finished the set on another Gustafson kill from Kealy for a 25-21 win.
After falling behind 14-12 in the third set, St. Thomas tied it on a Schmidt kill and moved in front during Audrey Kocon's serve. St. Thomas kept the advantage with late kills from Gustafson and Kurth around UND attack errors. St. Thomas won the set 25-19.
St. Thomas built an 8-1 lead in the fourth set by scoring seven straight points after a 1-1 score, with Kira Brundage serving two aces and Kurth, Kocon and Schmidt adding kills. A later 7-of-8 stretch moved St. Thomas from an 11-4 lead to 18-5, aided by a Gustafson kill and UND attack errors. The Fighting Hawks scored four straight to reach 19-11, but St. Thomas answered with six of the final seven points and closed the set 25-12 on Miriam Unongo's kill from Kealy.
UP NEXT
Schoenecker Arena features rematches of the 2025 Summit League Tournament semifinal and final matches during its home conference opener Oct. 1 and 3. St. Thomas first hosts South Dakota on Thursday at 7 p.m. before taking on South Dakota State on Saturday at 12 p.m.
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' 2026 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
Players Mentioned
RS
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
RS/S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
RS
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
UST
UND
Kills
48
41
Errors
22
26
Attempts
143
147
Hitting %
.182
.102
Points
59.0
53.0
Assists
44
39
Aces
9
3
Blocks
2
9
Game Leaders
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Friday, September 18
Friday, September 18
Tuesday, March 03
Sunday, December 07
