Nicki Ainsworth 2009 MIAC All Conference

The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference volleyball coaches released their 2009 Post-Season Awards recently and honored two Gustavus volleyball players for their play this season.  Junior Nicki Ainsworth (Eden Prairie, Minn) was named to the 18-member All-Conference team and senior Tara Kramer (Hayfield, Minn) was selected to the All-MIAC Volleyball Sportsmanship team.

Ainsworth, a versatile outside hitter, contributed solid numbers across all categories this season.  She ended the season with a total of 170 kills and a hitting percentage of .208.  Ainsworth finished third on the team in digs (254), sets (52), and blocks (53), while finishing first on the team and sixth in the MIAC in aces with 40.  In her three years at Gustavus, Ainsworth has compiled 803 digs and 554 kills in 79 career matches.

Senior captain Tara Kramer is a four-year letterwinner who played in every match as a defensive specialist for the Gusties this season. She recorded 143 digs and compiled a .902 serve percentage in 265 service attempts.

MIAC Release

Senior Captain Tara Kramer All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team

Outside hitter Janey Helland attacks the Cardinal block.

The Gustavus volleyball team wrapped up its 2009 season with a 3-1 loss to Saint Mary’s at Gus Young Court on Saturday afternoon.  The set scores were 19-25, 25-21, 26-28, and 16-25. The Cardinals garnered a coveted MIAC Playoff spot with the win over the Gusties. Gustavus finishes its season at 11-17  overall and 3-8 in the MIAC.

Saint Mary’s opened the match by winning the first set 25-19, but Gustavus bounced back and evened the match at 1-1 by winning the second set 25-21.  The third set was a thriller and the Cardinals edged the Gusties 28-26.  Saint Mary’s playing like a team that needed a win to qualify for the playoffs closed out the match by winning the fourth set in convincing fashion 25-16.

Senior Meghan Gehring is honored on Senior Day before the game.

Gustavus was led by Meghan Gehring with 12 kills, while Malea Noennig registered 33 set assists and Erin Sherman contributed 26 digs.

Saint Mary’s was led by Amy Kujak with 16 kills.  Brittany Cherwinka posted 56 set assists and Courtney Runge registered 20 digs.

Saturday’s match was Senior Day at Gustavus and the Gustavus coaching staff and Athletics Department celebrated the careers of seniors Meghan Gehring and Tara Kramer.  Congratulations to Meghan and Tara for their accomplishments with the Gustie volleyball program.  The Athletics Department wishes them well in the challenges that lie ahead.

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Tara Kramer is recognized on Senior Day by Head Coach Kari Eckheart

Olivia Warren

The Gustavus volleyball team battled #10 St. Thomas for four sets, but after the Gusties won the first set 28-26, the Tommies won the next three sets by the scores of 25-21, 25-23, 25-20 and claimed the match 3-1.  The Gusties made things interesting with impressive play at the net, and some solid back row defense, but when the Tommies needed to close out points at the end of a set, they found a way.  The result was not what Gustavus was hoping for, but left cause for optimism as this young team has played three nationally ranked conference opponents (#22 Concordia, #16 St. Ben’s, and #10 St. Thomas) very competitively over the past week posting a record of 1-2.

Jenny Ewert

The Tommies jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first set, and that seven-point lead, was the biggest lead held by either team at any point in the match.  Trailing 17-11, the Gusties outscored the Tommies 7-3 to pull within two at 20-18.  St. Thomas had set points at 24-23 and 25-24, but Gustavus tied the set at 26-26 and then Janey Helland registered back-to-back kills that allowed the Gusties to win the first set 28-26.

In the second set, the score was tied 18-18, but the Tommies countered with a 7-3 run to win the set by a score of 25-21.  In the third set, the score was tied 22-22 and then St. Thomas three of the next four points to post the 25-23 win and take a 2-1 advantage in sets.  In the fourth set, the score was tied at 16-16, but the Tommies used a 4-0 run to take a 20-16 lead and never looked back on their way to winning the set 25-20 and the match  3-1.

The Gustie front line celebrating.

Gustavus was led on the attack by Angela Ahrendt with 13 kills and Meghan Gehring with 11.  Malea Noennig contributed 41 assists and Nicki Ainsworth compiled 15 digs.

Gustavus will close out its season at home on Saturday with a match against Saint Mary’s at 3:00 pm.

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Nicki Ainsworth

Gustavus junior outside hitter Nicki Ainsworth (Eden Prairie, MN/Eden Prairie H.S.) has been named MIAC Hitter of the Week.  Ainsworth helped the Gustavus volleyball team go 2-1 over the past week with a 3-0 upset over #22 ranked Concordia in Moorhead on Friday.  In the win over the Cobbers, she had 7 kills (19 attempts), 10 digs, and three block assists.  Ainsworth’s consistency as an all-around player was displayed in her statistics this week as she tallied a total of 26 kills, 34 digs, and made 0 receiving errors in 37 attempts.

The Gustavus volleyball team will play host to #10 ranked St. Thomas on Wednesday in St. Peter at 7:00pm.

MIAC Release

Angela Ahrendt led the Gusties in kills with 14, while Malea Noennig registered 40 set assists and Jenny Ewert contributed 20 digs.

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Gustavus seniors Kirsten Thulien, Becca Hagen, Rachel Iblings, Alison Dittmer, and Megan Gode were honored before the start of the match

The Gustavus women’s soccer team suffered a heartbreaking double overtime loss to Bethel on Saturday afternoon in St. Peter, MN. The game went scoreless for 102 minutes before Bethel freshman Kelsey Flaherty scored the game winner giving Bethel the 1-0 victory. With the win, Bethel moves to 10-5-1 overall and 3-5-1 in the MIAC, while Gustavus drops to 6-7-3 overall and 2-6-1 in the MIAC.

The Gustavus defense was forced to battle all afternoon as Bethel held the zone and controlled the ball for much of the game. At the 102 minute mark of the second overtime, Gustavus suffered a slight letdown that opened the door for Bethel’s Kelsey Flaherty. Flaherty received a pass from teammate Brittany Griffore putting her in postion at the top of the goal box with the ball. Flaherty made one deke, lost her defender, and buried the ball in the back of the net for the game winner.

The Gusties still struggled to find shots and scoring as they entered the match having scored just two goals in their previous five games. Gustavus senior Rachel Iblings had the best Gustavus scoring chance of the afternoon when she hit the top corner post on penalty kick in the 87th minute. The Gusties were out-shot in the game 18-6 and lost the corner kick advantage 7-3.

It was senior day at the Gustie Soccer Field as five seniors were honored for their years of commitment and dedication to the women’s soccer program. A special thanks goes out to seniors Kirsten Thulien, Becca Hagen, Rachel Iblings, Alison Dittmer, and Megan Gode.

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The Gusties, who were struggling through a stretch of eight consecutive losses two weeks ago, have broken out of their slump by winning three of their last five, including two straight.  Coach Kari Eckheart’s squad is now 11-14 overall and 3-5 in MIAC play.

Gustavus trailed 27-26 in the first set and rallied for three straight points to claim the set 29-27.  In the second set, the Gusties were leading 8-7, before going on a 10-4 run that increased their lead to 18-11.  Concordia would get no closer than seven points the rest of the way as Gustavus posted a 25-16 win.  The Gusties closed  out the match with a solid 25-20 win in the third set.

Gustavus will travel to St. Joseph on Saturday afternoon for a conference match against #16 St. Ben’s at 3:00 pm.  The Blazers defeated #23 St. Olaf 3-0 on Friday night.

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The Gusties show off their pink uniforms before the Bethany match.

The Gustavus volleyball team looked strong in all phases of the game on its way to a convincing 3-0 win over Bethany Lutheran College on “Dig Pink Night” on Gus Young Court at Gustavus. The game scores were 25-16, 25-17, 25-18. The Gusties wore pink uniforms to show their support for breast cancer awareness and raised money in support of a cure for the disease. Janey Helland led the Gustavus attack with 16 kills, while Erin Sherman led the defensive effort with 17 digs. Gustavus improves to 10-14 overall, while Bethany falls to 3-13.

Janey Helland (#9) celebrates with Erin Sherman (pink jersey).

In the first set, Gustavus jumped out to an early 8-4 lead, and then quickly extended its lead to 19-10, before closing out the set by a score of 25-16. Helland and Olivia Warren led the way with four kills each.

In the second set, the Gusties trailed 6-8 early, but then went on an 8-0 run to take a 14-8 lead. After the Vikings snapped the 8-0 run, Gustavus countered with a 6-0 run to increase its lead to 20-9 and then held on for the 25-17 victory.

In the third and final set, Gustavus held a slim 10-8 advantage until an 8-3 run gave the Gusties a solid 18-11 lead. The Vikings would battle back to pull within four at 22-18, but Gustavus scored the final three points to claim the set 25-18 and close out the match 3-0.

Malea Noennig recorded 42 set assists, which is a season high for her in a three-set match. Janey Helland also posted season high marks for kills (16) and attack attempts (34) in a three-set match. The Gusties also set a season high mark for team kills (52) in a three-set match.

Middle hitter Angela Ahrendt goes up for a kill.

Gustavus will return to conference play this weekend with a match at Concordia on Friday at 7:00 pm and a match at St. Ben’s on Saturday at 3:00 pm.

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Tara Kramer keeps the ball in play for the Gusties.

Jenny Ewert digs a kill attempt against Northwestern.

Angela Ahrendt makes a play at the net.

The Gustavus volleyball team split two home matches on Homecoming Day defeating conference foe Hamline 3-0 and losing to non-conference opponent Northwestern 2-3. The Gusties used late runs to post wins in the first two sets against Hamline, but the Gusties could not stop the late runs by Northwestern in losing in five sets after leading the match 2-1. Gustavus is now 9-13 overall and 2-3 in the MIAC.

Against Hamline, Gustavus won the first and second sets with late runs and then jumped out to an early lead in the third set and held on to close out the match by a score of 3-0. In the first set, Gustavus outscored the Pipers 7-2 down the stretch to claim the 25-17 win. Then in the second set, the Gusties used a 9-5 run to post the 25-20 win. In the third and final set, Gustavus jumped out to an 18-9 lead and then held on for the 25-16 victory Meghan Gehring registered 13 kills, and Malea Noennig contributed 33 set assists and 13 digs.

Against Northwestern, the Gusties and Eagles battled through five challenging sets before Northwestern won the decisive fifth set by the score of 15-10. Gustavus won the first set 25-22, but then lost the second set 21-25. In the third set, the Gusties led 23-19 before Northwestern rallied to tie the score at 24-24. Gustavus battled back to win the set 26-24. In the fourth set, the Gusties led 22-20 and looked like they might close out the match, but the Eagles rallied to claim the set 26-24. In the fifth set, Gustavus and Northwestern were locked up in a tense struggle with the score tied at 9-9, but the Eagles closed out the set with a 6-1 run to win 15-10. Olivia Warren led the Gusties with 17 kills, while Janey Helland added 16 kills. Erin Sherman led the team defensively with 25 digs.

Hamline Box Score

Northwestern Box Score

Emily Phillips goes up for a block attempt.

Olivia Warren goes up high for a kill.

Libero Erin Sherman digs a St. Catherine kill attempt.

The Gustavus volleyball team suffered a disappointing 3-0 loss to St. Catherine University on Thursday night by the scores of 24-26, 19-25, 19-25. The Gusties fall to 8-12 overall and 1-4 in the MIAC, while the Wildcats improve to 13-7 overall and 3-2 in the MIAC.

Gustavus got off to a strong start in match and led for much of the first set, however St. Kate’s rallied from a 20-17 deficit to claim the 26-24 win. After battling the Wildcats evenly in the first set, the Gusties just could not get on track the rest of the match. In the second set, Gustavus got down early, then rallied late to pull within four at 15-19, but St. Kate’s held on for the 25-19 win. In the third set, the Gusties got off to a great start and led 12-9, but St. Catherine controlled the rest of the match pulling away late for the 25-19 victory.

Olivia Warren led the Gusties with 13 kills, followed by Janey Helland with 12. Erin Sherman registered 22 digs and Malea Noennig recorded 26 assists. St. Kate’s was led by Maria Hoffman with 15 kills. Nicole Neumann contributed 22 digs and Nina Lindquist added 39 assists.

Gustavus will host Hamline in a conference match on Saturday at 1 pm and then Northwestern of Roseville in a non-conference match at 4 pm.

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