ST. PETER, Minn. – Coming off the greatest season over the past three decades of Gustavus volleyball, this season’s Gustie squad is looking forward with the goal of writing a new successful chapter in the program’s history. The Gusties open their 2016 campaign tomorrow at the Elmhurst Tournament where they’ll play four games in two days.
“The biggest thing for us is to not focus on last season,” sixth-year head coach Rachelle Sherden said. “Clearly it is good to celebrate, but after last season we talked about when January 1 hits, this is a brand new season. Our girls are ready and they’re hungry to start playing games that matter and not just practice.”
Abby Leitch
After starting the 2015 season 0-2, the Gusties went on a program-record 27-match winning streak en route to a perfect 11-0 record in the MIAC, the first MIAC title since 1986, and to cap it off, a MIAC Playoff title and automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. Although Gustavus lost in the open round of the NCAA tournament, the season was nothing short of spectacular. Last season may have been a surprise to those outside the program, but now holding the title of defending MIAC Champions, the Gusties will not be overlooked.
“Any time you have a season like last year, you are going to have a target on your back,” Sherden said. “We try to keep our mentality focused on the game and not getting too high or low on things. We can only focus on our game and how we are going to control our emotions, and not playing off a really high emotion from the other team.”
Gustavus lost All-American middle hitter Alyssa Taylor to graduation, along with Becca Woodstra on the outside and Kelle Nett in the middle, so there are a few spots to fill on the front line, but coach Sherden is pleased with the depth the team has this season. All-Conference right side Taylor Trautman (Sr., Hutchinson, Minn.) returns after recording 257 kills (2.47 per set) last season, as well as outside hitter Lauren Hanson (So., Redwood Falls, Minn.), who tallied the second most kills on the team last year with 260 (2.60 per set). Sherden said there are three student-athletes vying for an outside slot opposite of Trautman, and that spot will be solidified as the season progresses.
Lauren Hanson
“We’ve had a lot of girls stepping up right now, we’re so deep with our pin attackers on the right and left sides, so we have a lot of options there, but its early in the season so we don’t have our lineup set yet,” Sherden said. “Our middle will be Shaefer Rupar (Jr., Merrill, Wis.), who has been training under Alyssa Taylor. She brings a high volleyball IQ to the court. She’s really smart and has a contagious energy. Sam Haugen (So., Becker, Minn.) will also step into that role and she is a world of difference from last year after playing junior varsity.”
This year’s captains include Rupar, Nora Holtan (So., Rochester, Minn.), Abby Leitch (Jr., Mankato, Minn.), and Janessa Jahnke (Sr., Blue Earth, Minn.). Rupar saw the floor in five games last season and tallied 18 kills. Holtan was named MIAC Rookie-of-the-Year last season along with AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year honors after a stellar rookie season wearing the Black and Gold. Holtan posted 944 assists (8.91 per set) as the team’s setter, along with 129 kills (1.22 per set), and 271 digs (2.56 per set). Leitch last year record 29 services aces and 290 digs (2.64 per set) as a defensive specialist. Jahnke did not see varsity playing time last year, but will be looked upon to lead in her fourth season.
“They’ve done a really great job about setting the tone and what they want the team to look like this year,” Sherden said of her captains. “We had such great leadership last year that I think a lot of the things are the same. This year’s captains want to make it their own, too. Our team is really big on bonding, chemistry, and all the off-court activities, so our captains are the leaders of that and they’ve done a great job so far.”
Nora Holtan
Other key contributors returning this year include defensive specialist Brittany Luethmers (So., Prior Lake, Minn.), who earned MIAC All-Conference last year, along with outside hitters Sammy Kremer (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.) and Anne Ladwig (Jr., Albert Lea, Minn.), and middle hitter/defensive specialist Hanna Albers (So., St. Louis, Mo.).
“This weekend our expectation is that we continue to display the growth that we’ve shown in practice,” Sherden said. “We try not to change our game because of someone else. There’s always some minor adjustments that we need to make, but if we can stay true to our roots and work hard to perfect our game, that’s our best shot against anybody. It doesn’t matter if the team we play is a ranked team in the nation or not, we treat every single team the same. That’s hard to do and think about, but that’s a mentality that we really harp on.”
great start keep it up