Sophomore Emily Gilman tallied a total of 17 kills on day one of the UW-River Falls Tournament.
River Falls, Wis. – The Gustavus volleyball team went 1-1 on the first day of the UW-River Falls Tournament held Saturday in the Karges Center. After winning their first match by the score of 3-1 over Waldorf College, the Gusties fell to UW-River Falls by the score 3-1. Gustavus will head into the final day of the UW-River Falls Tournament with an overall record of 6-5.
The Gusties began the tournament with a four-set victory over UW-River Falls, winning by the scores of 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, and 25-15. The Black and Gold benefited from the stellar performance of its two first-year hitters Becca Woodstra (Minnetonka, Minn.) and Kelle Nett (Spring Valley, Ill.). Woodstra recorded 12 kills and an attack percentage of .357, while Nett registered 11 kills with a season-best attack percentage of .348. Emily Gilman (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) was also efficient on offense, finishing with a season-high eight kills.
Sophomore Kendra Weege (Watertown, Minn.) distributed a match-high 27 assists, and fellow sophomore Paige Breneman (Sherburn, Minn.) led Gustavus defensively with 18 digs.
Despite winning the first set 25-23, host school UW-River Falls took three straight sets to defeat the Gusties 3-1 by scores of 25-21, 25-17, and 25-22 in the nightcap. The Falcon offense was proficient throughout the night, hitting .353 as a team in the match.
Woodstra shelled out 33 assists, going over 30 set assists for the fourth time this season. Her go-to attacker was Kelle Nett, who was excellent at the net for the second-straight match, leading the Gusties with 10 kills and hitting .375. Gilman and Woodstra were behind Nett with nine kills apiece.
Jean Theis and Erin Green of UW-River Falls led all offensive players in the match. Theis turned in a match-high 20 kills (.562), while Green recorded 15 (.435).
The Golden Gusties will cap off the UW-River Falls Tournament with a 12:00 p.m. match against UW-Stevens Point, and a 2:00 p.m. match against UW-Whitewater.