Sophomore Taylor Meurer
Winona, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss to Saint Mary’s in it’s season-finale on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals cruised to the sweep by set scores of 25-18, 25-18, and 25-19. Gustavus concludes it’s 2012 season with an overall record of 10-18 and an MIAC mark of 4-7. Saint Mary’s improved to 14-14 overall and 5-6 in the MIAC.
With an 11-9 lead in the opening set, Saint Mary’s used a 6-2 run to go up 17-11 and take control of the set. Gustavus cut the lead to 21-18, yet couldn’t make up the difference as the Cardinals scored four straight points for a 25-18 set one win.
The Gusties grabbed an early lead in the second set, going up 7-3 following a Becca Woodstra (Fy., Minnetonka, Minn.) kill. The Black and Gold would lead until Saint Mary’s used a 7-2 run with the score tied at 13-13 to go up 20-15. After Gustavus scored three straight points to cut the lead to 20-18, the Cardinals scored five in a row to take the set 25-18.
The Cardinals took the lead in the final set and wouldn’t relinquish it for the remainder. Gustavus would cut the lead to one at 15-14, yet Saint Mary’s scored six of the next seven points to go up 21-15. Carissa Hahn put the match in the books with a kill to earn Saint Mary’s the set at 25-19.
Emily Phillips (Sr., Cleveland, Minn.) led the Gustavus offense with 11 kills and a season-best .407 attack percentage. Gustavus hit .086 as a team compared to Saint Mary’s who hit .274.
Paige Breneman (So., Sherburn, Minn.) led all defensive players with 18 digs, while Becca Woodstra also reached double-figures with 11. Taylor Meurer (So., Nicollet, Minn.) did the setting and finished with 19 assists.