By winning the Summit League volleyball tournament, St. Thomas earned an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The Tommies, in their first year of eligibility for the postseason, won’t have to travel far for their first Division I NCAA regional in any sport.
On Sunday, the NCAA announced the 64-team field, and the Tommies will face Iowa State at Maturi Pavilion in a regional hosted by the fourth-seeded Gophers, who will open against Fairfield on Friday night.
The Gophers, who finished in a tie for sixth place in the powerhouse Big Ten, are in the NCAA tournament for the 11th consecutive season and 26th of the past 27. The Gophers were 22-9 overall and 12-8 in the Big Ten as they recorded their 30th consecutive winning season.
“It’s special to be able to bring the NCAA tournament back in front of our fans at Maturi Pavilion,” Gophers coach Keegan Cook said. “It’s a testament to the work the team has put in all season long. Not a lot has gone to plan this year, but being able to host the NCAA Tournament was definitely a goal of ours.”
The Gophers, one of eight Big Ten teams in the tournament, will take on MAAC champion Fairfield (25-5) in the second match on Friday. The match will be preceded by the Tommies against Iowa State (22-7), a No. 5 seed.
The Gophers and Fairfield have met just once, in 2019, while the Gophers and Iowa State have not met since 2021. The Gophers defeated St. Thomas 25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-18 on Aug. 31 at Maturi Pavilion. Julia Hanson, who led the Gophers with 426 kills this season, had 18 kills in that match.
St. Thomas is 21-9 this season, having finished third in the Summit League with an 11-5 record. In the conference tournament last week in Brookings, S.D., the Tommies defeated sixth-seeded Nebraska-Omaha, second-seeded South Dakota and top-seeded and host South Dakota State to win the tournament. Four players average at least 9.6 kills per match for St. Thomas: Tezra Rudzitis, Anya Schmidt, Megan Wetter and Ellie Gustafson.
“This is exciting for our program and our athletic department,” Tommies coach Thanh Pham said. “It’s been a grind, the transition from Division III to Division I, but it’s been incredibly rewarding. It was a goal to win the Summit League and play in the NCAA Tournament, and now, it’s time to get back to work and prepare for Iowa State on Friday.”
