Volleyball Opens NCAA Tournament Against Aurora

Gustavus vs. Aurora
Date: Thursday, Nov. 9
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: St. Paul, Minn. | Ericksen Center
Live Coverage: Live Stats | Video

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ST. PETER, Minn. – For the eighth time in program history and the third consecutive year, the Gustavus volleyball team is making an appearance at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament. The Gusties (23-6) received the No. 2 seed in the St. Paul, Minn. regional and are set to face No. 7 seeded Aurora University (26-7) at 3 p.m. Thursday at the Ericksen Center on the campus of the University of Northwestern-St. Paul.

The Gusties are in a regional bracket that also includes host Northwestern, Cornell College, UW-La Crosse, Saint Benedict, St. Thomas, Wartburg, and Aurora.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Gustavus closed out the 2017 regular season with back-to-back victories to secure the No. 3 seed for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Playoffs, in which the Gusties hosted No. 6 seeded Augsburg University for a quarterfinal matchup. The Auggies knocked out Gustavus with a 3-1 win, despite the Gusties receiving an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament.

Aurora also earned an at-large bid as the runner-up in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament, and is making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans compiled a 10-1 conference record to finish in second place, falling 3-1 against Concordia University Wisconsin in the NACC Tournament Championship. Gustavus and Aurora will be facing each other for the first time.

IN THE POLLS

The Gusties most recently moved dropped three spots in the most recent Division III National rankings, falling from No. 13 to No. 16 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll. Fellow regional opponent Northwestern is ranked No. 9, St. Thomas is ranked No. 22, while Aurora, Cornell, UW-La Crosse, and Wartburg are receiving votes.

GUSTIES IN THE POSTSEASON

Gustavus has made its way to the NCAA Tournament seven times, earning a spot in the final 16 during the 1975 AIAW National Small College Volleyball Tournament. In 156 all-time postseason matches, the Black and Gold has compiled a 92-58-6 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.

SCOUTING THE GUSTIES

Gustavus’s attack is led by MIAC Rookie of the Year Kate Holtan (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) with 329 kills, averaging 3.29 per set. Hanna Albers (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) is next in line with 300 kills, averaging 2.97 per set. The offense is directed by Nora Holtan (Jr., Rochester, Minn.), who is the back-to-back MIAC Player of the Year. Holtan has 1,004 assists (9.94 per set) and has also contributed on the attack with 152 kills (1.50 per set) and a team-best .284 hitting percentage. MIAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year Brittany Luethmers (Jr., Prior Lake, Minn.) leads the Gustie defense with 502 digs (4.97 per set). As a team, the Gusties average 13.56 kills per set, which ranks 11^th in the nation. Their 39.173 attacks per set average also ranks 15^th in Division III.

GUSTAVUS VOLLEYBALL PAGE

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS

Aurora’s attack is led by junior outside hitter Katie Vondra, who owns 425 kills to average 4.17 per set. Junior setter Emily Lines sets up the Spartan attack, averaging 10.70 assists per set, which ranked ninth-best in Division III. First-year libero Julia Wood leads the Aurora defensive effort as the NACC Defensive Player of the Year averages 5.09 digs per set. The Spartans as a team average 13.12 kills per set along with 12.12 assist per set, which both rank within the top-35 in the nation.

AURORA VOLLEYBALL PAGE