Gustavus Adolphus volleyball player Malea Noennig set a pair of superb matches to lead the Gusties to a 2-0 mark last week, clinching an MIAC Playoff berth for the first time in two seasons. The Norwood Young America, Minn. native recorded 86 set assists, 13 digs and six kills in Gustavus’ regular-season ending two MIAC matches. For her efforts, Noennig received MIAC Volleyball Setter-of-the-Week honors.
Gustavus defeated St. Catherine 3-0 on Wednesday night before topping Saint Mary’s 3-1 on Saturday afternoon. In the match against St. Catherine, Noennig handed out a total of 38 assists and added six digs. The senior also hit the floor with a season-high four kills in the match.
Against the Cardinals in the regular-season finale on Saturday, Noennig delivered her second-highest set assist total of the season with 48, while also making seven digs.
Malea has registered a career-high 888 digs for an average of 9.35 digs per set this season, ranking sixth in the MIAC. She has been a key contributor in Gustavus fifth-ranked hitting percentage of .207. The Mayer Lutheran product has a team-leading 39 aces on the year, ranking seventh in the MIAC at .41 per set.
The Gustavus volleyball team finished the regular season with an overall record of 20-9 and a MIAC mark of 7-4. The Gusties locked up the fifth seed in the MIAC Playoffs and will travel to St. Joseph, Minn. to play Saint Ben’s in the opening round of the playoffs on Tuesday, Nov. 1.