Volleyball Hands Saint Ben’s First MIAC Loss Posted on October 20th, 2018 by CJ Siewert

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

SAINT PETER, Minn. – In a battle of undefeated teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the No. 10 Gustavus volleyball team bounced back after a first set loss to beat Saint Benedict in four, 20-25, 25-7, 25-17, 25-23, extending its winning streak to 15 while improving to 23-2 overall and 9-0 in the league.

After hitting a pedestrian .149 in the first set, the Gusties erupted for a .419 attack percentage in the second set and continued their momentum throughout the rest of the match.

“In the first set we were playing more reactive and not executing our game plan,” Head Coach Rachelle Sherden said. “Our mentality in the second turned super gritty on defense and our serving got them out of system. When Saint Ben’s is in system they are very hard to stop so we had to serve aggressive. We also got smarter with our attack in finding holes in their blocks.”

Three Gusties reached double figure kills, led by Kate Holtan’s (So., Rochester, Minn.) 17, along with an efficient .410 hitting rate. She also contributed 13 digs. Lauren Hanson (Sr., Redwood Falls, Minn.) and Hanna Albers (Sr., St. Louis, Mo.) tallied 13 kills apiece. Nora Holtan (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) distributed 47 assists and dug out 14 attacks. Brittany Luethmers (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.) recorded 23 digs on the back line.

The first set featured six ties and four lead changes, but a 7-1 Blazer run midway through the set proved to be the difference. The Gusties quickly put that loss in the rear-view mirror, going on an 18-1 run in the second frame for a decisive victory.

With the score tied 5-5 in the third, Gustavus went on a 7-1 run and led the rest of the way. The fourth set was a battle to the end with eight ties and four lead changes. Gustavus held off a late charge by the visitors to hold on for a close two-point win.

Gustavus wraps up the regular season on the road next week with a pair of MIAC matches. The Gusties are at Augsburg at 7 p.m. Wednesday and then finish at Saint Mary’s on Friday.