Nora Holtan sets up Sam Haugen for a kill. (photos by Roisen Granlund '17)
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team escaped with a five-set victory over Buena Vista University on Tuesday night, improving to 18-6 overall. The Gusties won the non-conference match by scores of 25-16, 25-13, 21-25, 25-27, 15-9.
“We came out and played really well the first two sets, but we need to do a better job of maintaining that consistency throughout the whole match and being able to make adjustments when needed,” Head Coach Rachelle Sherden said. “We played reactive and emotional instead of focusing on holding ourselves accountable to our job and making the adjustments that were needed to be made.”
Abby Leitch
Lauren Hanson (So., Redwood Falls, Minn.), Sam Haugen (So., Becker, Minn.), and Hanna Albers (So., St. Louis, Mo.) led the offense with 14, 13, and 12 kills, respectively. Albers added 13 digs for her team-leading 13th double-double of the season. In her second match played this season, Nicole Hansen (Fy., Chaska, Minn.) contributed seven kills with just one error for a .400 attack percentage. Nora Holtan (So., Rochester, Minn.) distributed 44 assists and dug out 11 attacks. And Brittany Luethmers (So., Prior Lake, Minn.) led the back line with 25 digs.
After a back-and-forth start to the first set, Gustavus took control of the game by rattling off six straight points for a 14-8 lead and never looked back. The second frame was all Gustavus from the onset. The Gusties jumped out to an 11-2 lead, forcing two Buena Vista timeouts in the process, en route to a convincing 12-point win.
The Beavers stole the momentum in the third set, though, taking a 6-2 advantage at the start, which grew into a 12-5 lead to force a Gustavus timeout. The Gusties battled back and eventually tied the score at 16-16, but the Beavers went on a 6-2 run to take a 22-18 lead and held on for a four-point victory.
After claiming the first three points to start the fourth set, the Gusties surrendered 10 of the next 13 volleys and trailed 10-6. Again, the Black and Gold battled back and eventually tied the game at 21-21, but were never able to gain the lead. The Beavers forced the fifth set after a kill and a Gustie attack error.
Buena Vista gained an 8-6 lead as the teams switched sides in the fifth, but after the switch it was all Gustavus as the home team went on a 9-1 run to claim the set and the match.
Gustavus returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Friday as it hosts Concordia at 7 p.m.