DUBUQUE, Iowa – The No. 9 Gustavus volleyball team completed a perfect 4-0 run at the Loras Invitational on Saturday, defeating No. 14 Northwestern-St. Paul in five sets followed by a 3-1 win over host Loras to improve to 7-1 overall. The Gusties won their first two matches at the invitational on Friday night as well.
Gustavus 3, Northwestern-St. Paul 2 | BOX SCORE
In a rematch of last year’s NCAA region championship, the Gusties won a back-and-fourth affair in five sets 25-20, 23-25, 25-14, 23-25, 15-11.
Trailing 10-9 in the first, Gustavus claimed four straight points and held onto the lead the rest of the way. In the second frame, the Gusties trailed 10-6 before going on a 12-5 run for the lead, but the Eagles rallied with a 7-3 streak and claimed the final four points for the win.
Nine-straight points midway through the third set gave the Gusties a lead they would not relinquish. The Eagles responded later in the fourth set with six of the final 10 points to force a fifth set. Northwestern held an early 4-2 lead, forcing a Gustie timeout. After the break, the Black and Gold rattled off five-straight points and never trailed the rest of the way.
Lauren Hanson (Sr., Redwood Falls, Minn.) led the attack with 18 kills and a .326 hitting percentage. Kate Holtan (So., Rochester, Minn.) and Hanna Albers (Sr., St. Louis, Mo.) finished with double-doubles in kills and digs, while Nora Holtan (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) tallied a triple-double with 53 assists, 12 kills, and 10 digs. Brittany Luethmers (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.) dug out a team-high 15 attacks.
Gustavus 3, Loras 1 | BOX SCORE
After dropping the first set 25-21, the Gusties answered with set victories of 25-23, 25-23, and 25-22.
Gustavus held a 10-9 lead in the opening frame before the home team went on a 6-2 run and maintained the lead the rest of the set. In the second set, the Gusties erased a 6-1 deficit, eventually claiming a 13-12 lead to force a Loras timeout. The Duhawks came within one point, but the Gusties held on for the win.
Once again the Gusties had to dig themselves out of a hole in the third set, erasing a six-point deficit with a 9-1 run. Loras regained the lead at 22-19 but after a Gustie timeout the Black and Gold scored five-straight points to secure the win. A 9-1 run early in the fourth frame set the tone and the visitors were able to hold on for the victory.
Kate Holtan led both the offense and defense with 17 kills and 20 digs. Nora Holtan dished out 43 assists.
Sam Haugen (Sr., Becker, Minn.) and the Holtan sisters were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Gustavus hosts its home opener at 7 p.m. Wednesday against MIAC foe Hamline.