2024 Volleyball Roster
Thompson, Ella
Jersey Number 9
Ella Thompson
- Position:
- Middle Blocker
- Height:
- 6-1
- Class:
- Redshirt Junior
- Hometown:
- Lakeville, Minn.
- High School:
- Lakeville North
- Prev School:
- South Dakota State
Bio
CAREER NOTES
Athletic: 2021 Summit League All-Freshman Team…Summit League Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 15, 2022)…
2022 (SOUTH DAKOTA STATE) | SOPHOMORE SEASON:
Season: Served as key weapon in the SDSU offense while taking a big step forward as a sophomore, operating as the lead middle and establishing career-highs in every offensive category while anchoring the conference’s No. 3 hitting percentage defense…started each of her 30 matches and played 116 sets, recording 325.0 points, 249 kills on .265 hitting, 95 blocks, 62 digs and 23 aces…averaged 2.80 points, 2.15 kills and 0.82 blocks a set…bumped her kill percentage to a career-best .437…ranked 12th across the Summit League in hitting percentage, blocks and blocks/set; 20th in kills and points, 21st in points/set, 22nd in aces and 24th in kills/set…was second among the Jackrabbits in nearly every category including kills, kills/set, points, blocks, blocks/set and hitting percentage while sharing the team lead at 11 solo blocks…recorded double-digit kills seven times…posted five-plus blocks six times…named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week once…
Illinois-Chicago (8/26): Posted five kills, two blocks, three digs, an ace and an assist on Opening Day… Northern Illinois (8/26): Hit .333 with nine kills, four digs, two blocks, an ace and one assist… NJIT (8/27): Sent down eight kills on .357 hitting with one dig... Samford (9/9): Put away 10 kills on .350 hitting alongside three blocks, a dig and one ace… Jacksonville State (9/9): Terminated seven kills while adding two blocks and an ace… Nicholls State (9/10): Matched her career-high with 12 kills on .400 hitting, scoring once from the service line and posting four blocks… Iowa (9/16): Sent down five kills and added a block, an assist and a dig… Northern Iowa (9/16): Blocked a season-high seven swings while adding nine kills and an assist… North Florida (9/17): Racked up a career best 14 kills on .440 hitting, adding two blocks, a dig and an ace… Denver (9/22): Produced nine kills and four blocks alongside a pair of aces… Nebraska-Omaha (9/24): Recorded eight kills, three blocks, three aces and a dig… North Dakota (9/27): Terminated eight kills to go with three blocks… South Dakota (10/1): Went for nine kills and seven blocks along with one dig… Western Illinois (10/6): Scored twice from the service line while adding seven kills and a pair of digs… St. Thomas (10/8): Tied her career-high with 14 kills on .440 hitting alongside two blocks and a dig… Missouri-Kansas City (10/13): Posted eight kills, three blocks and two digs while tying her career-best with three aces… Oral Roberts (10/15): Recorded 11 kills while adding five digs, two blocks and an ace… Nebraska-Omaha (10/20): Sent down eight kills alongside two digs and a block… Denver (10/22): Hit .333 with six kills and a pair of digs… South Dakota (10/28): Matched her career mark again with 14 kills, adding five blocks and two digs… North Dakota State (11/1): Put away nine kills to go with five blocks, four digs and a career-high four aces… St. Thomas (11/3): Produced six kills, five digs and four blocks… Western Illinois (11/5): Hit .300 with five kills, four blocks, three digs and an ace… Oral Roberts (11/10): Set a career-high with six digs while adding four kills on .333 hitting and three blocks… Missouri-Kansas City (11/12): Dominated the net with a career-high 11 blocks including two solo stuffs, adding nine kills on .389 hitting alongside four digs and one assist… North Dakota (11/17): Hit .500 with five kills on 5-1-8 while chipping in four digs and two blocks… North Dakota State (11/19): Closed the regular season in style, hitting .583 with eight kills, six blocks, an ace and one dig…
Summit League Tournament (11/24): Continued her conference tournament success, hitting .429 with 11 kills, four blocks and two digs against Denver in the Quarterfinal…
National Invitational Volleyball Championship (12/2-3): Opened the NIV with seven kills, two blocks and a pair of digs against Louisiana-Lafayette in the Round of 64…produced four kills, two digs and a block in the Round of 32 against Texas-Rio Grande Valley…
2021 (SOUTH DAKOTA STATE) | FRESHMAN SEASON:
Season: Earned Summit League All-Freshman honors with a stellar debut campaign as the Jackrabbits’ top middle, finishing sixth in the conference with 106 blocks while anchoring the league’s No. 4 hitting percentage defense…appeared in 30 matches – starting 29 – and 111 sets, recording 274.0 points, 194 kills on .254 hitting, 106 blocks, 60 digs and 21 aces…averaged 2.47 points, 1.75 kills and 0.95 blocks a set…terminated at a lethal .425 kill percentage…displayed stellar discipline controlling the net with just five blocking errors…ranked sixth across the Summit League in total blocks, 10th in blocks/set, 19th in hitting percentage, 21st in kills and points and 22nd in aces…led the Jackrabbits in blocks and blocks/set while landing second in hitting percentage and third in kills and kills/set…recorded double-digit kills six times…posted five-plus blocks five times…
Grambling (8/27): Opened her collegiate career with five kills on nine swings, hitting .444 with two aces, two blocks and a dig… North Texas (8/27): Sent down a career-high 12 kills on .409 hitting while adding two blocks, two digs, an ace and an assist… McNeese (8/28): Hit .462 with six kills on 13 swings, posting three blocks, an ace, a dig and one assist... Montana (9/3): Thumped seven kills on .412 hitting to go with a short-lived new career mark of four blocks, a career-high five digs, an ace and one assist… Cal Baptist (9/4): Dominated the net with a career-best eight blocks, adding five kills on .400 hitting, four digs and an ace… Toledo (9/10): Posted seven kills, three blocks and a pair of digs… Youngstown State (9/11): Hit .304 with 10 kills, four blocks and three digs… Valparaiso (9/11): Swung at a .385 clip with six kills and six blocks – including a career-high two solo stuffs – while adding an ace, a dig and an assist… Southeastern Louisiana (9/17): Set a new career-high with nine blocks and 15.5 points, adding 10 kills on .333 hitting with an ace and a dig… Idaho (9/17): Posted four kills, four blocks and two aces… Drake (9/18): Produced four blocks and three kills… South Dakota (9/24): Hit .333 with six kills, two digs, a block and an assist… North Dakota (9/28): Terminated 10 kills with four blocks and a dig… Missouri-Kansas City (9/30): Hit .308 with six kills… Oral Roberts (10/2): Put away six kills while matching her career-bests with five digs and two aces, adding a pair of blocks… Western Illinois (10/7): Went back in double-figures with 10 kills, four blocks and a dig… St. Thomas (10/9): Hit a whopping .625 with five kills on eight swings, adding two blocks, a career-high three aces and a dig… North Dakota State (10/12): Produced nine kills, five blocks and three digs… Denver (10/14): Posted a pair of blocks… Nebraska-Omaha (10/16): Scored two aces while adding two blocks, a pair of digs and an assist… South Dakota (10/22): Delivered four blocks, two kills and two digs… Oral Roberts (10/28): Terminated eight kills on .375 hitting with two blocks and a dig… Missouri-Kansas City (10/30): Sent down 11 kills while hitting .444, adding six blocks, three digs and an ace… St. Thomas (11/5): Hit .385 with six kills, four blocks, two digs and an ace… Nebraska-Omaha (11/11): Recorded four kills and two blocks… Denver (11/13): Put away three kills, matched her career-best with five digs and added two blocks… North Dakota State (11/18): Tallied seven kills, four digs and three blocks… North Dakota (11/20): Closed the regular season with eight kills and matched her career mark with five digs, adding a block…
Summit League Tournament (11/25-26): Enjoyed a stellar postseason showing, sending down 18 kills on .371 hitting while adding 11 blocks across two matches…hit a whopping .467 with nine kills and seven blocks to help SDSU shock Denver in the Quarterfinal…put away nine kills on .300 hitting in the Semifinal against South Dakota, recording four blocks, two digs, an ace and an assist…
Prep: A 2020 graduate of Lakeville North High School...five-year member of Northern Lights club…led the Panthers to a No. 4 ranking in Class AAA in the pandemic-altered 2020 season…fueled a fifth-place MSHSL Class AAA State Tournament run as a junior...2019 All-South Suburban nominee after recording 189 kills (2.63 per set) on a whopping .459 kill percentage with 66 blocks (0.92 per set)…
Personal: The daughter of Steve and Kari Thompson…Psychology major with a minor in Athletic Coaching…enjoys traveling, spending time with family and lake days…
Athletic: 2021 Summit League All-Freshman Team…Summit League Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 15, 2022)…
2022 (SOUTH DAKOTA STATE) | SOPHOMORE SEASON:
Season: Served as key weapon in the SDSU offense while taking a big step forward as a sophomore, operating as the lead middle and establishing career-highs in every offensive category while anchoring the conference’s No. 3 hitting percentage defense…started each of her 30 matches and played 116 sets, recording 325.0 points, 249 kills on .265 hitting, 95 blocks, 62 digs and 23 aces…averaged 2.80 points, 2.15 kills and 0.82 blocks a set…bumped her kill percentage to a career-best .437…ranked 12th across the Summit League in hitting percentage, blocks and blocks/set; 20th in kills and points, 21st in points/set, 22nd in aces and 24th in kills/set…was second among the Jackrabbits in nearly every category including kills, kills/set, points, blocks, blocks/set and hitting percentage while sharing the team lead at 11 solo blocks…recorded double-digit kills seven times…posted five-plus blocks six times…named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week once…
Illinois-Chicago (8/26): Posted five kills, two blocks, three digs, an ace and an assist on Opening Day… Northern Illinois (8/26): Hit .333 with nine kills, four digs, two blocks, an ace and one assist… NJIT (8/27): Sent down eight kills on .357 hitting with one dig... Samford (9/9): Put away 10 kills on .350 hitting alongside three blocks, a dig and one ace… Jacksonville State (9/9): Terminated seven kills while adding two blocks and an ace… Nicholls State (9/10): Matched her career-high with 12 kills on .400 hitting, scoring once from the service line and posting four blocks… Iowa (9/16): Sent down five kills and added a block, an assist and a dig… Northern Iowa (9/16): Blocked a season-high seven swings while adding nine kills and an assist… North Florida (9/17): Racked up a career best 14 kills on .440 hitting, adding two blocks, a dig and an ace… Denver (9/22): Produced nine kills and four blocks alongside a pair of aces… Nebraska-Omaha (9/24): Recorded eight kills, three blocks, three aces and a dig… North Dakota (9/27): Terminated eight kills to go with three blocks… South Dakota (10/1): Went for nine kills and seven blocks along with one dig… Western Illinois (10/6): Scored twice from the service line while adding seven kills and a pair of digs… St. Thomas (10/8): Tied her career-high with 14 kills on .440 hitting alongside two blocks and a dig… Missouri-Kansas City (10/13): Posted eight kills, three blocks and two digs while tying her career-best with three aces… Oral Roberts (10/15): Recorded 11 kills while adding five digs, two blocks and an ace… Nebraska-Omaha (10/20): Sent down eight kills alongside two digs and a block… Denver (10/22): Hit .333 with six kills and a pair of digs… South Dakota (10/28): Matched her career mark again with 14 kills, adding five blocks and two digs… North Dakota State (11/1): Put away nine kills to go with five blocks, four digs and a career-high four aces… St. Thomas (11/3): Produced six kills, five digs and four blocks… Western Illinois (11/5): Hit .300 with five kills, four blocks, three digs and an ace… Oral Roberts (11/10): Set a career-high with six digs while adding four kills on .333 hitting and three blocks… Missouri-Kansas City (11/12): Dominated the net with a career-high 11 blocks including two solo stuffs, adding nine kills on .389 hitting alongside four digs and one assist… North Dakota (11/17): Hit .500 with five kills on 5-1-8 while chipping in four digs and two blocks… North Dakota State (11/19): Closed the regular season in style, hitting .583 with eight kills, six blocks, an ace and one dig…
Summit League Tournament (11/24): Continued her conference tournament success, hitting .429 with 11 kills, four blocks and two digs against Denver in the Quarterfinal…
National Invitational Volleyball Championship (12/2-3): Opened the NIV with seven kills, two blocks and a pair of digs against Louisiana-Lafayette in the Round of 64…produced four kills, two digs and a block in the Round of 32 against Texas-Rio Grande Valley…
2021 (SOUTH DAKOTA STATE) | FRESHMAN SEASON:
Season: Earned Summit League All-Freshman honors with a stellar debut campaign as the Jackrabbits’ top middle, finishing sixth in the conference with 106 blocks while anchoring the league’s No. 4 hitting percentage defense…appeared in 30 matches – starting 29 – and 111 sets, recording 274.0 points, 194 kills on .254 hitting, 106 blocks, 60 digs and 21 aces…averaged 2.47 points, 1.75 kills and 0.95 blocks a set…terminated at a lethal .425 kill percentage…displayed stellar discipline controlling the net with just five blocking errors…ranked sixth across the Summit League in total blocks, 10th in blocks/set, 19th in hitting percentage, 21st in kills and points and 22nd in aces…led the Jackrabbits in blocks and blocks/set while landing second in hitting percentage and third in kills and kills/set…recorded double-digit kills six times…posted five-plus blocks five times…
Grambling (8/27): Opened her collegiate career with five kills on nine swings, hitting .444 with two aces, two blocks and a dig… North Texas (8/27): Sent down a career-high 12 kills on .409 hitting while adding two blocks, two digs, an ace and an assist… McNeese (8/28): Hit .462 with six kills on 13 swings, posting three blocks, an ace, a dig and one assist... Montana (9/3): Thumped seven kills on .412 hitting to go with a short-lived new career mark of four blocks, a career-high five digs, an ace and one assist… Cal Baptist (9/4): Dominated the net with a career-best eight blocks, adding five kills on .400 hitting, four digs and an ace… Toledo (9/10): Posted seven kills, three blocks and a pair of digs… Youngstown State (9/11): Hit .304 with 10 kills, four blocks and three digs… Valparaiso (9/11): Swung at a .385 clip with six kills and six blocks – including a career-high two solo stuffs – while adding an ace, a dig and an assist… Southeastern Louisiana (9/17): Set a new career-high with nine blocks and 15.5 points, adding 10 kills on .333 hitting with an ace and a dig… Idaho (9/17): Posted four kills, four blocks and two aces… Drake (9/18): Produced four blocks and three kills… South Dakota (9/24): Hit .333 with six kills, two digs, a block and an assist… North Dakota (9/28): Terminated 10 kills with four blocks and a dig… Missouri-Kansas City (9/30): Hit .308 with six kills… Oral Roberts (10/2): Put away six kills while matching her career-bests with five digs and two aces, adding a pair of blocks… Western Illinois (10/7): Went back in double-figures with 10 kills, four blocks and a dig… St. Thomas (10/9): Hit a whopping .625 with five kills on eight swings, adding two blocks, a career-high three aces and a dig… North Dakota State (10/12): Produced nine kills, five blocks and three digs… Denver (10/14): Posted a pair of blocks… Nebraska-Omaha (10/16): Scored two aces while adding two blocks, a pair of digs and an assist… South Dakota (10/22): Delivered four blocks, two kills and two digs… Oral Roberts (10/28): Terminated eight kills on .375 hitting with two blocks and a dig… Missouri-Kansas City (10/30): Sent down 11 kills while hitting .444, adding six blocks, three digs and an ace… St. Thomas (11/5): Hit .385 with six kills, four blocks, two digs and an ace… Nebraska-Omaha (11/11): Recorded four kills and two blocks… Denver (11/13): Put away three kills, matched her career-best with five digs and added two blocks… North Dakota State (11/18): Tallied seven kills, four digs and three blocks… North Dakota (11/20): Closed the regular season with eight kills and matched her career mark with five digs, adding a block…
Summit League Tournament (11/25-26): Enjoyed a stellar postseason showing, sending down 18 kills on .371 hitting while adding 11 blocks across two matches…hit a whopping .467 with nine kills and seven blocks to help SDSU shock Denver in the Quarterfinal…put away nine kills on .300 hitting in the Semifinal against South Dakota, recording four blocks, two digs, an ace and an assist…
Prep: A 2020 graduate of Lakeville North High School...five-year member of Northern Lights club…led the Panthers to a No. 4 ranking in Class AAA in the pandemic-altered 2020 season…fueled a fifth-place MSHSL Class AAA State Tournament run as a junior...2019 All-South Suburban nominee after recording 189 kills (2.63 per set) on a whopping .459 kill percentage with 66 blocks (0.92 per set)…
Personal: The daughter of Steve and Kari Thompson…Psychology major with a minor in Athletic Coaching…enjoys traveling, spending time with family and lake days…
2023 SCSU Volleyball Pre-Season Press Conference
Thursday, August 31
St. Cloud State Volleyball
Friday, August 25
Weekend Preview: Volleyball
Friday, August 25
2022 NSIC Volleyball Championship Highlights
Friday, August 25
