The St. Thomas volleyball team celebrates a point during Thursday’s sweep of the University of North Dakota at Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies bounced back after a 3-2 loss to Denver on Saturday. (Eli Bieker/The Crest) 
Junior libero Ella Voegele was one of four Tommies with 12 or more digs. (Eli Bieker/The Crest) 
Junior hitter Tezra Rudzitis and sophomore hitter Ellie Gustafson notched 12 and 13 kills respectively. (Eli Bieker/The Crest) 
Coach Thanh Pham told his team to “stay with the process” at a timeout during the close first set. (Eli Bieker/The Crest)
Sophomore setter Morgan Kealy notched her twelfth double-double this season Thursday in St. Thomas’ 3-0 sweep of North Dakota at Schoenecker Arena.
UND gave the team trouble in the first two sets despite the Fighting Hawks sitting at the bottom of the Summit League standings. The Tommies won the first two sets 28-26 and the third 25-15.
“I knew it was not going to be easy and again, tonight, the scores proved it. It was not easy but we’re glad that we can come away with a ‘W’,” coach Thanh Pham said.
Kealy dished a match-high 38 assists to her hitters and came up with 13 digs.
“I trust my teammates and know what balls are mine,” Kealy said.
She attributed her assists to the team’s hitters like sophomore Ellie Gustafson and senior Lauren Galvin, who also earned double-doubles with kills and digs.
“I’m glad they’re on my side of the net, for sure. I mean, they’re power hitters and I don’t even know how to explain how amazingly grateful I am for them,” Kealy said.
Gustafson had been struggling over the Tommies’ last three matches and hadn’t hit over .300 since the team’s Oct. 3 sweep over South Dakota. She hit .355 on Thursday.
“Gus hasn’t been playing great, and then this was like a slump buster for her, super proud of how she performed,” Pham said.
Junior hitter Tezra Rudzitis also joined her teammates with double digit kills, finishing with 12.
“We want to come off strong, swing as much as we can, especially in moments that are really crucial,” junior middle blocker Megan Wetter told The Crest on Wednesday.
St. Thomas racked up 51 kills on 128 total attacks and outdid UND in every major offensive statistic except aces.
“My hitters are being really efficient this season, so that’s definitely helping me,” Kealy said.
The Tommies’ front row was lacking a key piece in Wetter Thursday, who has a team-high 70 blocks on the season. Pham did not give any specifics or a timeline for her return but expects Wetter “to be back in the lineup at some point.”
Senior middle blocker Lander Friedrichs stepped up in her absence, in just her fourth match of the season. Pham said Friedrichs played “admirably.”
“I couldn’t be more proud of the team,” Pham said, “especially with Lander jumping in and performing her role like she knows how.”
The first two sets were both at 27-26 at one point and the Tommies closed out both. Pham said he told the team to “stay with the process” at a timeout before match point of the first set.
“For us, that means focus on what’s in front of us, not the outcomes. So if we worry about how we do things, rather than what will happen, we tend to do better,” Pham said.
The Tommies put a commanding finish to the match in the final set, 25-15. Thursday’s win puts St. Thomas at 4-3 in conference play and in fourth place in the standings.
North Dakota sits in last place, but Kealy said Thursday’s close scores show the competitiveness of the Summit League from top to bottom.
“I feel like this year, any team can beat anyone,” Kealy said.
The team’s next game is against conference leader South Dakota State University. The Jackrabbits are the only undefeated team left in Division I.
“That’s just making us more excited if anything and we really just want to play like us and take that from them,” Kealy said.
The first set begins at noon on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Schoenecker Arena.
Adam Mueller can be reached at muel7541@stthomas.edu.