Sports odds and ends
The St. Thomas volleyball team is off to a good start thus far this season.
Since they entered the D1 era, St. Thomas has not gone undefeated in non-league tourneys. But after a five-set win over Green Bay last Friday in Green Bay, Wisc., the Tommies (8-4) clinched their third-straight non-conference tournament without a loss. They earlier that day defeated Chicago State 3-1.
Going into this Thursday’s Summit League opener against North Dakota State at home (7 pm), UST already has surpassed their 2023 win total after 12 matches, setting a new Division I single-season high.
Sophomore outside hitter Miriam Unongo from Minneapolis De La Salle is among 18 student-athletes from a year ago, joined this season by a first-year player. All 18 Tommies saw action in 2023.
“I think last year I was just trying to find my place on the team and my role coming in as a freshman,” admitted the Minneapolis native after her team played Minnesota at Maturi Pavilion Sept. 10. She had a monster kill in the second set against the host Gophers.
“I had lots of expectations, lots of big goals. Now I’m set [with] more ambitious but more realistic goals for myself,” continued Unongo, the team’s only Black player. “I think I can bring a lot of unique things to this team that no one else can bring. I’m really excited to just be myself more authentically, and just bring what I can bring to the table.”
It’s often said that the biggest improvement for a player or a team occurs during the off-season. “Summer was super busy,” recalled Unongo, “but it was good. Lots of training, lots of touches in the gym, lots of time with teammates. Little of rest here and there.
“It was a good summer, got me ready for this season,” said Unongo.
St. Thomas has won eight of its last nine matches to close its 2024 non-conference play.
“I think this season we all expect to come out way better than we did last season,” Unongo stressed. “We are really focused on putting our everything into every game that we have.”
Although the visiting Tommies fell 3-0 to Minnesota, Unongo told us the team left that night defeated on the court but not in spirit. “Even though the result didn’t go as we wanted in this game,” she said, “we gave it our all, and that’s all we can ask each other to do.”
With the non-conference season in the books, St. Thomas welcomes North Dakota State to begin league play.
“We’re all connected, staying together, so we’re really excited to play this year,” concluded Unongo.