NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team made quick work of St. Olaf on Wednesday night, winning its seventh consecutive match in straight sets 25-10, 25-21, 25-20, improving to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
“Our serving was really tough tonight,” Head Coach Rachelle Sherden said. “Our defense was also scrappy, which allowed our offense to generate some momentum.”
Gustavus came to play and made that clear in the opening set by jumping out to a commanding 10-1 advantage. St. Olaf responded with a 5-1 run, but that would be its only momentum of the set as the Gusties cruised to a 15-point victory. Gustavus hit at an efficient .323 rate (14-31, 4 errors) in the first frame, while limiting the Oles to a -.188 clip (4-32, 10 errors).
The home team found a rhythm to start the second set, leading 6-2. Gustavus answered with five straight points to take the lead 7-6. From that point on it was a back and forth affair with six ties and four lead changes over the next 21 volleys, but the Gusties gained the final lead at 18-17 and held on for a four-point win.
St. Olaf got off to another good start in the third frame, leading 6-4 early on, but the Gusties once again had an answer with a 5-1 run, taking a 9-7 advantage. The Oles then responded with a 5-1 run of their own to gain a 12-10 lead. The Black and Gold followed with four straight kills to force an Ole timeout. St. Olaf would tie the score at 16, but was never able to regain the lead as the Gusties completed the shutout with a 25-20 decision.
Lauren Hanson (So., Redwood Falls, Minn.) continued to be the go-to attacker for the Gusties, finishing with a game-high 16 kills on 29 attempts and two errors for a .483 hitting percentage. Hanna Albers (So., St. Louis, Mo.) added nine kills as well as a team-best 12 digs. Nora Holtan (So., Rochester, Minn.) was steady setting up the offense, averaging 10 assists per set, while contributing nine digs and four kills. As a team, the Gusties posted seven aces.
“Lauren had a phenomenal match and Hanna really turned it on at the end,” Sherden said. “It’s great to see those two performing well as we get into our conference schedule because every match in the MIAC is a battle.”
Gustavus returns home Saturday for a 3 p.m. MIAC match against St. Catherine (8-6, 0-2 MIAC), who lost 3-0 at St. Thomas tonight.