St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus volleyball team is ready to take on Bethel University in an MIAC tilt on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. on Gus Young Court. After suffering a 3-2 heartbreaker to Concordia on Friday night in Moorhead and a 3-0 loss to Saint Benedict on Saturday afternoon in St. Joseph, the Gusties enter Wednesday’s match in a tie for eighth place in the conference standings alongside Bethel. The Royals went 1-1 last weekend with a 3-1 loss at Hamline on Friday night and a 3-0 win over Carleton at home on Saturday afternoon. Gustavus is 9-17 overall and 3-5 in the MIAC, while Bethel is 12-14 overall and 3-5 in the MIAC.
Live video and live stats for Wednesday’s match will be provided by the Gustavus Sports Information Department.
Gustavus
Roster | Statistics | Schedule/Results
Bethel
Roster | Statistics | Schedule/Results
Dig Pink – Wednesday night’s contest will serve as Gustavus’ annual Dig Pink match to help raise awareness of breast cancer. Gustavus is one of thousands of teams from around the country that participate in this event every October. Middle school, high school and college teams will promote breast health education in the community as well as raise funds to further research. This year’s Dig Pink fundraising goal is set for $2,000,000.
Gustavus players, along with coaches and fans will wear pink clothing in honor of breast cancer victims, patients, and survivors. Spectators are also encouraged to participate through a donation to the Side-Out Foundation, the organization responsible for organizing Dig Pink events across the nation. Donations will be accepted at the table near the entrance. All proceeds benefit Side-Out, which in turn awards grants to medical research organizations and entities dedicated to providing compassionate support to breast cancer patients and their families.
The Side-Out Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was established in 2004 to unite volleyball players and coaches and to have them work toward the common goal of making a significant and identifiable difference in the lives of breast cancer patients and their families. The organization’s goal is to advance clinical trials, increase patient support services and educate communities. Side-Out supports teams nationwide in their volleyball tournaments, clinics and other fundraising efforts. The foundation offers practical support for fundraising in addition to educational material for participants in order to help them become effective advocates for breast cancer. It contributes the funds to organizations that serve breast cancer patients, whether it be in the form of research, medical services or patient support.
The term side-out refers to a situation in volleyball when one team wins a point while its opponent is serving, thereby regaining serve or control of play. It is hoped that Side-Out will do the same for breast cancer patients, providing them with the support, education and best available treatments to regain control of their lives.
For more information on the Side-Out Foundation, please follow the link below.
The Series – Wednesday night’s match will be the 49th meeting between Gustavus and Bethel on the volleyball court. The Gusties hold the advantage in the all-time series with a record of 26-21-1. The two squads met twice last season with Bethel coming out on top on both occasions. In their MIAC match on Sept. 28 in Arden Hills, the Royals earned a tightly-contested 3-0 win via sets scores of 26-24, 25-23, and 25-22. The teams met again on Oct. 6 at the Wartburg Tournament in Waverly, Iowa and Bethel came away with a 3-2 win after a 15-13 victory in the fifth set.