NEWBURG, Ore. – The No. 24 ranked Gustavus volleyball took down two more opponents in just three sets each match during day two of the Oregon Trail Classic on Saturday, defeating Whitworth University and George Fox University to return home from the opening weekend with four wins.
The Gusties improve their record to 4-0 overall, marking the first time a season has begun with four wins since 2008.
“Our serving was off the charts, especially the first match,” said Head Coach Rachelle Sherden.” We were very efficient attacking and Nora Holtan (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) did a great job spreading the offense to keep the opponent defense on their toes. Serving and receiving was solid and it was great to have everyone on the roster playing and contributing.”
Gustavus vs. Whitworth: 25-16, 25-13, 25-21
A hot start in set one allowed the Gusties to own a 11-2 lead to begin its first match Saturday evening, eventually gaining a nine-point lead. Gustavus took advantage of the Pirates’ mistakes as they recorded nine errors, compared to the Gusties’ nine kills with two service errors on 29 total attempts for an attack percentage of .241.
Gustavus went on a six-point run to lead 12-5 in the second set and didn’t look back, maintaining its lead at the same rate throughout the set. The Gusties forced Whitworth into a negative hitting percentage as they posted eight errors, while the Gustavus attack hit at a rate of .273 with 11 kills and two errors on 33 attempts.
After Gustavus jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the final frame, the Pirates made a push back and grabbed their first lead of the match, going on a 15-8 run to own a 20-19 lead. However, the Black and Gold stole back the momentum with five-straight points and eventually closed out the set at 25-21.
Lauren Hanson (Jr., Redwood Falls, Minn.) led the attack with 10 kills on 18 attempts for an efficient .556 clip. N. Holtan tallied 27 assists while Brittany Luethmers (Jr., Prior Lake, Minn.) carried the defense with 16 digs.
Gustavus vs. George Fox: 25-20, 25-15, 25-10
The Gusties posted an efficient attack during the second match of the day, hitting at a .340 rate, with a balanced attack.
Set one was back and forth at the start, Gustavus claiming a 9-6 lead after four-straight points prior to another string of rallies on each side until the Gusties gained momentum at the end, coming up with 14 kills and taking the set 25-20.
Despite a tight first set, the Black and Gold quickly took care of George Fox in set two and three, talling 14 and 13 kills with just two errors each. Hanson again led the attack with 12 kills on three errors and 27 attempts. Hanna Albers (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) and Sam Haugen (Jr., Becker, Minn.) were also strong on the attack, each notching seven kills and attacking percentages of .400 and .583.
“This weekend was a good start and we are looking forward to continuing to build on our strengths and areas of improvement,” Sherden commented. “We have two very tough weeks ahead.”
Gustavus is set for another four-match weekend Sept. 8-9 as they travel to Stevens Point, Wis. to take on Lakeland, Millikin, UW-Stevens Point, and Edgewood.