(Matt Berkner photo, Gustavus Sports Information)
ST. PETER, Minn. – The No. 11-ranked Gustavus volleyball team swept the University of Wisconsin-Stout Tuesday evening at Gus Young Court to conclude its 2017 non-conference schedule, improving its overall record to 20-3 on the season.
Gustavus 3, UW-Stout 0: 25-18, 25-15, 25-22 (Box Score)
The Gusties earned their eighth consecutive win and 17th sweep of the season, totaling 43 kills and hitting .257 against the Blue Devils.
Kate Holtan (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) helped lead the Gustie attack with a team-high 15 kills along with a .333 attack percentage. Lauren Hanson (Jr., Redwood Falls, Minn.) also guided the Gustavus offense, hitting efficiently with a career-best .562 attack percentage as she recorded 11 kills on 16 attempts with just two errors.
Needing just 25 assists to reach the 3,000 mark in her career, Nora Holtan (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) tallied 36 on the night to surpass the 3,000 assist total. With 812 assists on the season and 3,011 in her career, Holtan currently ranks fourth all-time.
Hanna Albers (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) led the Black and Gold defense with 16 digs.
Despite holding the lead for the entire first set, the Blue Devils didn’t allow Gustavus to run away until five consecutive points allowed for the Gusties highest lead of the set, leading 23-17.
The Gusties were able to take control in the second set, hitting .290 with 13 kills and forcing seven UW-Stout errors. Leading 15-11 near the midway mark, the Blue Devils were forced to take a timeout and were unable to come back. The Gusties followed the break with another string of five-straight points to grab a 20-12 advantage and eventually take a 2-0 lead.
UW-Stout showed a strong effort to push back in the final frame, claiming its largest lead of the match with a 12-9 lead to start the set. The set then saw five lead changes until the Gusties led 22-19 and held on for the win.
Gustavus heads back into Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with two road matches ahead, heading to Concordia College Friday evening, followed by a match at Saint Benedict Saturday afternoon.