St. Thomas volleyball began its Homecoming match on fire but fell short in a nail-biting fourth set (25-16, 19-25, 21-25, 26-28) on Saturday at Schoenecker Arena.
First-year outside hitter Ellie Gustafson led the Tommies (4-12, 0-5 Summit League) with 13 kills and 19 digs, logging her first double-double. Sophomore outside hitter Tezra Rudzitis ended the match with 12 kills and sophomore outside hitter Kaitlynn Peterson recorded a career high 21 digs.
“A highlight of the game for us was definitely the first set,” coach Thanh Pham said.
Gustafson scored the first point of the game against Oral Roberts (3-14, 1-4 Summit League) with a service ace, setting the tone for her performance throughout the match. After some early back-and-forth, the Tommies gained a nine-point lead and sustained it thanks to reliable assists from first-year setter Morgan Kealy, winning the first set 25-16. The set was a strong start in what could’ve been the Tommies’ first conference win this season.
The second set began neck and neck, but the Eagles pulled away at the end to win by six points. Peterson scored two early kills after a service error gave St. Thomas its first point. Following a series of long volleys salvaged by digs from sophomore libero Ella Voegele, two kills from Oral Roberts junior outside hitter Thaynara de Jesus sealed the set win for the Eagles with a score of 25-19.
Pham challenged a point in the third set with St. Thomas trailing 9-7. Officials sided with St. Thomas, helping the Tommies mount a response against the Eagles.
When asked about the challenge, Pham said, “I wanted to show our team that I’ll fight for you as long as you fight for us, whether I’m right or not.”
The Eagles went on to win the third set 25-21 when Jesus scored the final point with an assist from senior setter Kalena Vaivai.
Fans were on their feet during the fourth set as the Tommies tried to force the match into a fifth set. The Tommies trailed the Eagles until Gustafson’s kill tied the score at 13, putting the teams neck and neck for the rest of the set. With the score tied 26-26, the final two points determined the match. Eagles junior hitter Trinity Freeman delivered a kill assisted by junior libero Breanna Rivas. Sophomore middle blocker Natassia Baptiste followed with a block that gave Oral Roberts its winning point.
“We had a continual fight,” Pham said, “We just didn’t execute in crucial times.”
The Tommies will play an away game against the University of South Dakota at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12 at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
Rhynn Paulsen can be reached at rhynn.paulsen@stthomas.edu.
Gwynnevere Vang can be reached at vang5129@stthomas.edu.