Senior right side hitter Tezra Rudzitis (15) dances with her teammates on the sideline. The St. Thomas Tommies beat the Kansas City Roos 3-1 at Schoenecker Arena for their home opener September 25, 2025. (Evan Neubauer/The Crest) 
Junior outside hitter Ellie Gustafson lunges for a dig. (Abigail Peters/The Crest) 
Rudzitis rises to spike against the Roos. (Abigail Peters/The Crest)
The St. Thomas volleyball team opened Summit League play with a win Thursday night, defeating the University of Missouri-Kansas City 3-1 (23-25, 25-11, 25-18, 25-15) at Schoenecker Arena.
After dropping the opening set, the Tommies stormed back to win three straight behind a dominant offensive performance and a spark from the home crowd in their conference opener.
“We knew we had to stay at an even higher level of execution,” coach Thanh Pham said. “That carried on through the three sets, leading to easier scoring, but we had to fight just as hard. I’m very proud of our team.”
Senior outside hitter Tezra Rudzitis led the way for the Tommies with 16 kills, followed by junior outside hitter Ellie Gustafson with 15, just one off her season high.
Junior setter Morgan Kealy commanded the court on offense and defense, leading the team with 43 assists and 15 digs while also posting a .375 hitting percentage with three kills and an ace.
Gustafson credited the team’s defense for giving the offense chances to score.
“The defense did a really good job of putting us in the system, and then my setter Morgan did a really good job of putting the ball where I needed it,” Gustafson said.
Momentum shifted in the second set when St. Thomas exploded on a 10-0 run, including a 7-0 stretch after a Kansas City timeout to build a 24-10 lead. A service error gave UMKC a point, but Gustafson closed it out with a kill to seal the set.
“I think the girls just locked in, and I think our fans really helped keep the momentum on our side,” Pham said.
The Tommies also found success at the service line. Senior setter and defensive specialist Allie Kopp produced five aces, while first-year outside hitter Anya Schmidt opened the fourth set with two straight to set the tone.
Pham praised the Roos despite their 1-13 start to the season.
“First off I want to give a lot of credit to UMKC,” Pham said. “Even though their record isn’t where they want it to be, they’re a proud program, and we respect the heck out of them. That first set, they really took it to us.”
With the win, St. Thomas begins Summit League play with early momentum heading into one of their biggest challenges yet, facing the Omaha Mavericks at home on Saturday at noon.
Omaha finished second in the conference last season, and St. Thomas has yet to defeat Omaha, going 0-8 since joining the Summit League and has been swept the last three consecutive matches.
Reagan Boschulte can be reached at bosc3829@stthomas.edu.
