ST. PETER, Minn. – The No. 11-ranked Gustavus volleyball team made quick work of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponent Macalester College Wednesday evening at Gus Young Court, earning its 12th sweep of the season over the Scots.
“We did a good job from the start, putting a lot of pressure of them,” said Head Coach Rachelle Sherden. “We wanted to focus on putting the pressure on right away and I was glad that our team maintained that throughout the entire match.”
Gustavus 3, Macalester 0: 25-12, 25-9, 25-6 (Box Score)
The Black and Gold made quick work of the Scots, bouncing back from the two-straight losses for the first time since 2015 with a convincing win as they forced 26 Macalester errors and posted a season-high .379 attack percentage with 29 kills off 58 attempts. In addition, the Gusties tied a season-high with 10 service aces.
Gustavus started strong out in the first set, holding a 12-5 lead early on as they continued to roll, hitting .318 to take the first set. In the second set, the Scots committed 10 errors while the Gusties matched their kill total from the first set with 10 to take care of Macalester and grab a 2-0 lead. In the final set, the home team hit at an impressive rate, tallying nine kills and just one error for a .533 attack percentage.
Kate Holtan (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) led the attack with nine kills and one error to claim a season-best .667 attack percentage. In addition, Hanna Albers (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) and Shaefer Rupar (Sr., Merrill, Wis.) notched five kills and zero errors each. Nora Holtan (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) totaled 24 assists along with Brittany Luethmers (Jr., Prior Lake, Minn.) picking up 13 digs.
“Our defense did a really good job and I thought our serving was really purposeful. They mixed it up a lot and got Macalester out of system. I am happy about the way our team responded after the past weekend,” Sherden said.
The Gusties, now 14-3 overall and 3-1 during conference play, remain at home with an upcoming match against St. Catherine University on Saturday afternoon at Gus Young Court.