Nora Holtan sets up teammate Shaefer Rupar (Photo by Alex Sellner, Gustavus Sports Information)
ST. PETER, Minn. – The No. 16-ranked Gustavus volleyball team swept Saint Mary’s University during the regular season finale at Gus Young Court Saturday afternoon to clinch a spot in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs.
“Wednesday’s win was clearly important for us to kind of get back and track,” said Head Coach Rachelle Sherden. “Tonight, the girls we’re ready to be themselves. That fact that we played consistent was important, not getting caught up with emotion.”
Gustavus 3, Saint Mary’s 0: 25-15, 25-18, 25-15 (Box Score)
The Gusties made quick work of the Cardinals with a .293 attack percentage with 38 kills, while limiting the visitors to 27 kills and forcing 15 errors for a .103 hitting percentage.
Kate Holtan (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) and Hanna Albers (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) led the Black and Gold attack with Holtan tallying 14 kills and hitting at a rate of .429. Albers followed with 13 kills and a .393 attack percentage. Nora Holtan (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) picked up her third consecutive double-double with 33 assists and 13 digs. Brittany Luethmers (Jr., Prior Lake, Minn.) guided the defense with 15 digs.
Gustavus forced a Cardinal timeout early into the match after going on a 10-6 run to open the first set and carried the lead throughout the set to take a 1-0 lead.
The Gustie offense stepped up in the second set and hit at an efficient rate of .348, compiling 18 kills and just two errors. After the Cardinals led by a mark of 6-5, Gustavus scored six-straight and went on to finish the set on a 20-12 run.
Saint Mary’s showed life in the final frame, forcing a couple lead changes early on. After the scoreboard read 11-11, the Gusties put their foot down, scoring four-straight to force a Cardinal timeout and managed the lead from then on out.
“It’s obvious that rankings and things like that don’t matter because anything can happen in this conference. Our mentality is to control what we can control. We aren’t ready to be done and I think we are still getting better everyday. After facing some adversity last weekend, I think in a weird way that will help us in the future,” Sherden concluded.
Receiving the No. 3 seed for the MIAC Playoffs, Gustavus is now set to host No. 6 seed Augsburg University on Tuesday, Oct. 31. Learn more HERE.