Waverly, Iowa – The Gustavus Adolphus volleyball team closed out the Wartburg Tournament with a pair of losses on Saturday afternoon. The Gusties fell 3-2 to Bethel in their opening match before falling 3-0 to host Wartburg in their final match of the weekend. Gustavus goes 0-4 over the weekend in Waverly and is now 7-15 overall.
The Gusties were locked in a five set battle with Bethel to start the day. After the Royals took the opening set 25-15, Gustavus bounced back with a 25-17 win in set two to tie the score at 1-1. Bethel took the third 25-20 and Gustavus responded once more by taking the fourth 25-18 to knot the match at 2-2 and send it into a decisive fifth set. In what was a tightly-contested fifth set, Bethel prevailed in the end by the score of 15-13.
Emily Phillips (Sr., Cleveland, Minn.) recorded kills in the double-figures for the third straight match, leading the Gustavus offense with match-high 16 kills and an attack percentage of .382. Brooke Dunkelbeck (Fy., Le Center, Minn.) finished with 11 kills, while Becca Woodstra (Fy., Minnetonka, Minn.) had 10 of her own.
The Gusties benefited from another balanced defensive effort. Paige Breneman (So., Sherburn, Minn.) led the team with 19 digs, while Shelby Nosan (So., Baudette, Minn.) had 10. Both Kendra Weege (So., Watertown, Minn.) and Taylor Meurer (So., Nicollet, Minn.) finished with double-doubles. Weege had 23 assists and 11 digs, and Meurer had 18 assists and 10 digs.
In Gustavus’ final match of the tournament against 15th-ranked Wartburg, the Knight’s cruised to a three set victory by set scores of 25-18, 25-15, and 25-14. Wartburg outhit the Gusties .243 to .021 in the match.
The Gustie offense was led by Woodstra who finished with seven kills, while Breneman paced the defense by turning in a match-high 17 digs.
The Gustavus volleyball team will attempt to get back on track in MIAC action on Wednesday, Oct. 10 when it travels to St. Thomas to face Hamline at 7:00 p.m.