Volleyball Set for NCAA Regional Competition This Weekend

SAINT PETER, Minn. – The No. 8 Gustavus volleyball team is set to host a NCAA Division III regional this weekend and opens the tournament at 8 p.m. Friday against Minnesota-Morris. The Gusties (27-2) earned an automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament by winning the MIAC playoffs, while UM-Morris (21-11) also earned an automatic qualifier by winning the UMAC playoffs.

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ABOUT THE GUSTIES

• Gustavus is making its ninth appearance at the NCAA tournament after reaching the national quarterfinals last season.

• This is the first time Gustavus has been selected to host a regional tournament under the current eight-team format.

• Rachelle Sherden was named MIAC Coach of the Year for the second time in four seasons after winning the program’s sixth conference title and first since 2015.

• Nora Holtan was named MIAC Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, becoming just the second player in conference history to achieve the feat. She is also one of 16 players in MIAC history to earn All-Conference all four years.

• Brittany Luethmers was named MIAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. Luethmers is also one of 16 players in MIAC history to earn All-Conference all four years.

• Lauren Hanson and Kate Holtan joined Nora Holtan and Luethmers on the All-Conference Team. Hanson, a senior, earned her third All-MIAC honor and Kate Holtan, a sophomore, earned her second.

• Luethmers enters the regional tournament with 2,278 career digs and is 52 shy of breaking the Gustavus program record held by Emily Klein (2005-08).

• Nora Holtan broke a 22-year old Gustavus record this season, surpassing Jess Lobben’s career assist mark of 4,201. Holtan enters the weekend with 4,499 career assists. She is the only player in program history with at least 4,000 assists, 1,000 digs, and 500 kills.

• Hanson this season became the 14th player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills. She enters the weekend with 1,277 kills and is in fourth place in the Gustavus record book.

• Kate Holtan leads the team with 376 kills and averages 3.42 per set. Her career average of 3.39 kills per set ranks third in team history.

ABOUT THE COURGARS

• This marks Minnesota-Morris’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

• They reached the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference championship match for the sixth straight season. Prior to Saturday’s win at Northwestern, they were defeated in each of the past five seasons in the championship match.

• Junior setter Layne Herrmann became the program’s all-time assists leader with 3,371 during Saturday’s win at Northwestern.

• The Cougars have recorded at least 20 wins in six of the past seven seasons.

• Senior middle hitter Rachel Mathias led the UMAC in hitting percentage (.339) and junior middle blocker Morgan Miller led the UMAC in blocks (118).