Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Galvin led the St. Thomas volleyball team with 12 kills in a 3-1 loss to Nebraska-Omaha Thursday at Schoenecker Arena.
The Tommies (3-21, 1-11 Summit League) took the first set from the Mavericks (14-8, 9-3) but could not carry the momentum against the No. 3 team in the Summit League
“I loved our first-set energy,” coach Thanh Pham said. “Omaha’s a really good team, and they showed why tonight. I was proud of our girls and how hard we battled.”
St. Thomas won the first set 25-19, capitalizing on six service errors by the Mavericks. Junior blocker Ellie Dammann and first-year outside hitter Tezra Rudzitis each had four kills in the set.
“It showed that they can compete with these teams,” Pham said. “I couldn’t be more proud of that.”
The following three sets went the way of Nebraska-Omaha, with the Tommies losing 25-12 in both the second and third sets.
“I thought it (the first set) would do more,” Pham said. “Last time we played them, we didn’t take a set, so this time we did.”
Seven different Tommies made a kill in the fourth set as the team showed grit, keeping the score to 25-21 loss.
“We need to do more than just win one,” Pham said. “Omaha’s at the top of the conference for a reason, and we just have to keep grinding and get there.”
The Tommies take on Denver at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28. at Schoenecker Arena for a conference match.
Sam Larson can be reached at lars4378@stthomas.edu.
Derek Badger contributed to this report.