Minneapolis – The Gustavus volleyball team went 1-1 on the opening day of the Augsburg College Tournament being held at Si Melby Hall this Friday and Saturday. The Gusties defeated Coe College 3-1 in their opening match, then fell to UW-Eau Claire 3-1 in the nightcap. Gustavus will head into tomorrow’s matches with an overall record of 4-2.
The Gusties kicked off the tournament with a 3-1 win over Coe, winning hard-fought battles in sets one (25-21) and two (25-23) before taking the match with a 25-23 win in set four.
First-years Becca Woodstra (Minnetonka, Minn.) and Kelle Nett (Spring Valley, Ill.) led the Gusties offensively with 11 kills apiece. Woodstra hit at a .303 attack percentage, while Net hit .276.
Sophomore Paige Breneman (Sherburn, Minn.) recorded 17 digs, while senior Erin Sherman (Golden Valley, Minn.) followed suit with 12 of her own. Sophomore Kendra Weege (Watertown, Minn.) distributed a match-high 33 set assists, her second-straight match with over 30.
Gustavus turned in its best hitting performance of the season with a team attack percentage of .205 in the match.
It was UW-Eau Claire taking the first two sets in Gustavus’ second match by scores of 25-19 and 25-18. After Gustavus won the third set 25-20, the Blugolds bounced back in set four with a 25-18 win to take the match 3-1.
The Gusties couldn’t find an answer for UW-Eau Claire’s Tessa Snell and Kelly Riesgraf who tallied 12 and 10 kills, respectively, and each hit above .300.
Gustavus was led on offense by senior Emily Phillips (Cleveland, Minn.) and Kelle Nett, each of whom notched nine kills.
Paige Breneman made 17 digs, and Kendra Weege contributed 22 assists.
The Gustavus volleyball team will be back in action tomorrow when it battles UW-Stevens Point at 9:00 a.m. and Northwestern College at 11:00 a.m.
For more information on the Augsburg Volleyball Invitational, please follow the link below.
http://athletics.augsburg.edu/news/2012/9/6/vb090612.aspx?path=wvball