Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports | David Faulkner
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa. – The Gustavus volleyball team capped its success in the final matches of the Cornell tournament and left 4-0 on the weekend after winning 3-2 over Coe College and 3-0 over Grinnell.
With the wins, the Gusties move to 8-1 on the season.
Coe entered the first set with a seven point advantage before the Gusties caught up with a five point run at 16-18. Gustavus wasn’t able to even it up until 20-20, in which both teams went point for point. Kes retaliated with three straight kills and the Gusties took over with the 25-23 final.
Both teams went into the second set ready to battle, with nearly the entirety of the set remaining tied. The Kohawks wore down on the Gustie defense and tilted the final two points in their favor taking set two 24-22.
Similar to set two, the middle frame remained close in score. Coe worked its way to a three point advantage and was able to maintain the lead for a 25-22 third set win.
Just when things looked to be over, the Gusties rallied back winning the first two points of the fourth set. The Kohawks were determined to shut it down tying it up 4-4. Both teams traded two point leads before a game-changing five point Gustie run to tie the match after a 25-16 fourth set.
Rising to the occasion for the final set, Gustavus found its spark and lit up the court with an unanswered 11 point run to complete to comeback win over Coe in a 15-2 finish.
Kate Holtan (Sr. Rochester) notched 21 kills while Madi Kes (So., Jordan) recorded 16. Hailey Embacher (Sr., Mankato) finished the first match of the day with 28 digs and Kasie Tweet (So., Adrian) recorded a team high 44 assists.
The Gusties looked to come home with a final win as they took a seven point run over Grinnell in the first set and remained strong on the attack with a 25-18 first set. The Pioneers fought back in set two, evening the score at 9-9 until Gustavus responded with a four point edge followed by a five point run to win the second frame 25-15.
Similarly, in the final set of the weekend, the Gusties accelerated on a 15-10 lead all the way to the end of a 25-13 win, ending the tournament undefeated.
Kes ended the match with a team high nine kills while Marlee Turn (So., Kennedy) had six. Newcomer Payton Auseth (Fy., Chaska) had three service aces in three sets played.
“The depth in our program is continuing to be a strength. We have athletes that are ready to step in, be the spark, and make a difference when we need it. All of them should be proud of the effort they gave this weekend. We are excited to keep growing and improving and preparing for a very competitive tournament next weekend.”
The Gusties are next in action when they travel to Wisconsin on Friday for their third tournament of the season.
way to go playing well early