ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The No. 11-ranked Gustavus volleyball team dropped its second consecutive match Saturday afternoon, falling in four sets at the College of Saint Benedict.
CSB 3, Gustavus 1: 22-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-18 (Box Score)
Kate Holtan (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) led the Gustavus attack, totaling a season-high 20 kills and notching 11 digs to record a double-double. Hanna Albers (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) and Lauren Hanson (Jr., Redwood Falls, Minn.) also tallied double-digit kills, compiling 16 and 14, respectively.
Nora Holtan (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) added a double-double and set up the offense with 51 assists and 10 digs. Brittany Luethmers (Jr., Prior Lake, Minn.) notched 18 digs for the second-straight match to lead the defensive effort.
Similar to yesterday evening’s loss at Concordia, the Gusties were unable to find a consistent attacking effort, totaling 30 errors and hitting .171 compared to the Blazer’s .250 attack percentage.
After taking a 1-0 with a 25-17 win in the first set, Gustavus allowed Saint Ben’s to come back and take the next three sets. The Black and Gold hit .250 in the first frame and didn’t find a way to duplicate that effort for the rest of the match, hitting below .200 for the rest of the match.
“The team worked hard despite the really tough losses. We will do all that we can to get back to playing Gustie ball next week,” said Head Coach Rachelle Sherden.
The Gusties, now 21-5 overall and 6-3 during Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play, return to Gus Young Court to close out the regular season schedule next week. Gustavus hosts Augsburg University Wednesday evening and Saint Mary’s University Saturday afternoon.