Gustavus vs. Augsburg
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 31
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: St. Peter, Minn. | Gus Young Court
Live Coverage: Live Stats | Video
ST. PETER, Minn. – The No. 3-seeded Gustavus volleyball team is set to host the No. 6 seed Augsburg University during a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference quarterfinal match at Gus Young Court Tuesday evening.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gusties closed out the 2017 regular season with two victories last week, winning in five sets over Augsburg to snap a two-game losing skid on Wednesday, followed by a sweep against Saint Mary’s University on Saturday to secure the home playoff matchup. Gustavus finished the regular season with a 23-5 overall record and an 8-3 conference mark.
HOLTAN RECEIVES MIAC WEEKLY ACCOLADE
Nora Holtan (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) earned her second MIAC Setter of the Week honor of the season after helping guide the Gusties to a playoff berth with two victories to wrap up the regular season. In two matches, Holtan averaged 10 assists per set and posted two straight double-double performances. Against the Auggies, Nora compiled 47 assists and 17 digs while owning a .350 attack percentage.
IN THE POLLS
The Gusties most recently moved up three spots in the most recent Division III National rankings, improving from No. 16 to No. 13 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll. Fellow MIAC opponent St. Thomas moved up one spot from No. 18 to No. 17.
GUSTIES IN THE POSTSEASON
Dating back to the 2001 season, Gustavus volleyball will be making its eighth appearance in the MIAC Playoff Tournament. Coming off back-to-back playoff titles in 2015 and 2016, the Gusties have totaled a 5-5 all-time MIAC Playoff record. Gustavus has made its way to the NCAA Tournament six times, earning a spot in the final 16 during the 1975 AIAW National Small College Volleyball Tournament. In 155 all-time postseason matches, the Black and Gold has compiled a 92-57-6 record. Last season, Gustavus defeated St. Thomas and Bethel to claim the conference playoff championship as the No. 2 seed and went on to defeat Wartburg in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament prior to falling against defending national champion Cal Lutheran.
THE SERIES
Tuesday’s contest marks the 70th all-time meeting between Gustavus and Augsburg with the Gusties holding a 45-24 series advantage over the Auggies, while the match will be the first MIAC Playoff matchup between the two teams since the new tournament format was implemented in 2001. Just last week, Gustavus prevailed over Augsburg in a comeback five set thriller at Gus Young Court.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Since losing to Saint Benedict on Oct. 25, 2014, Gustavus has gone 30-1 at Gus Young Court with its lone loss against then-No. 12 Northwestern-St. Paul on Sept. 23 this season. The Gusties are 21-0 against conference opponents at home in the last three seasons.
SCOUTING AUGSBURG
The Auggies wrapped up their regular season with three consecutive losses to finish with a 18-11 overall record and a 7-4 mark in the MIAC, receiving the No. 6 seed for the conference playoffs. Senior Taylor Linn leads the Augsburg attack, averaging 3.13 kills per set with a total of 329 on the season. Junior setter Morgan Malley sets up the offense with an average of 10.73 assists per set. Macey Terhell guides the defense with as the MIAC digs leader, averaging 5.23 digs per set
A season ago, Augsburg headed into the MIAC Playoffs as the No. 1 seed and regular season champion, and were upset by No. 5 seeded Bethel 3-1. The Auggies are 1-5 in all-time MIAC Playoff matches.