Photo courtesy of David Faulkner, SPX Sports.
SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball used a strong attack Friday night to take down Bethel, as the team hit .315 in a 3-0 sweep. With the win the Gusties improve to 12-12 overall and 5-2 in the conference while the Royals fall to 15-7 overall and 4-3 in the MIAC.
“Although we played a lineup that we have not played before, I was really proud of how everyone stepped up today,” said Head Coach Rachelle Sherden. “Our setters did a really good job of finding our middles in transition and mixing up the offense and overall our team was playing really smart. Our attackers did a really good job of finding gaps in their defense and we served really aggressive which is super important against Bethel because their middles are so strong.”
The first set was a battle, as both team went back and forth with neither team gaining more than a three-point advantage the entire set. Gustavus jumped out early and took a 10-7 lead, but Bethel responded, taking six of the next eight points to take their first lead of the match at 13-12. The Gusties answered to take a 16-15 lead of their own but a three point Bethel run put them back in control. The Black and Gold came back strong, taking seven of the next nine points to take control of the set and go up 23-20. The Royals would respond with two points, but Gustavus would score two straight to end the set.
In set two, the Gusties once again came out strong, working their way to an 11-8 lead. the Royals would come back in the middle of the set, pushing their way to an 18-17 lead. Gustavus though, closed out the set strong, taking eight of the final 12 points en rout to a 25-22 victory.
Set three was Gustavus’s most dominant, as they never trailed in the set. With the Gusties holding onto a 18-12 lead, Annalee Olson-Sola (So., Northfield) had three straight kills to add to the lead and make it 21-12. The Royals didn’t quit though, as they fought back late, scoring four straight points after trailing 24-18, but a Gustavus kill would end the threat.
Kate Holtan (Jr., Rochester) led all Gusties with 15 kills, hitting .429 in the process, while Olson-Sola added 10. Mitaya Johnson (Sr., Kasson) and Nora Lehmkuhl (Fy., Northfield) quarterbacked the offense in the contest, with 22 and 21 set assists, respectively, while the Gusties got eight other assists from non-setters. Hailey Embacher (Jr., Mankato) was the only member of the Black and Gold with double-digit digs as she had 23, while nine other Gusties recorded at least one.
“Our pursuit and grittyness on defense tonight was lights out,” said Sherden. “We were not going to let any ball drop, and even if we didn’t win a point, it still sets the tone and gives our team confidence in playing in tight situations because they know everyone is going all out.”
The next match for the Gusties will be next Friday when they travel to Concordia for a 7 p.m. contest.
So proud of these girls! Such a fun, fun match to watch! Congrats to the entire team!!