ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team earned a bounce-back victory Saturday at St. Thomas, defeating the Tommies in four sets, 25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 25-18, improving to 13-3 overall and 4-1 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
“We bounced back well and had good practice Friday,” Head Coach Rachelle Sherden said. “We came in disciplined and aggressive tonight and played solid defense and on serve receive. Nora made very smart decisions to help our attackers get good opportunities against the Tommie defense. Serving was not perfect but purposeful. Traut, Hanna, and Lauren had a solid night on offense.”
Nora Holtan (So., Rochester, Minn.) posted her third career triple-double with 48 assists, 16 digs, and 10 kills, including an efficient .381 attack percentage. Hanna Albers (So., St. Louis, Mo.) added a double-double with 19 kills and 18 digs, while Lauren Hanson (So., Redwood Falls, Minn.) and Taylor Trautman (Sr., Hutchinson, Minn.) contributed 18 and 12 kills, respectively. Brittany Luethmers (So., Prior Lake, Minn.) led the back line with 20 digs.
Gustavus played the Tommies tight in the early-going of the first set and gained a 12-9 lead after going on a 5-1 run. St. Thomas would regain the lead at 17-16, but the Gusties countered with 6-1 run and finished off the set for a 25-20 win.
Gustavus gained an 8-4 advantage to start the second set until the Tommies charged back with five straight points to force a Gustie timeout. Gustavus came out of the break and scored eight of the next 10 points to take a lead it would not relinquish.
The Tommies started quick in the third set, winning the first five volleys to force a Gustavus timeout. The Black and Gold fought back and eventually tied the score at 8-8, but couldn’t take the lead as St. Thomas went on a 12-4 run en route to a four-point victory.
Gustavus and St. Thomas traded points early in the fourth set, but a 7-1 run midway through the frame gave the Gusties a 15-9 lead and they held on for a match-clinching 25-18 victory.
“This win is helpful for our team to realize when they practice tough they play tough and can compete at a very high level,” Sherden said.
Gustavus next travels to UW-Stout for a 7 p.m. match Tuesday.