Volleyball Clinches MIAC Playoff Berth with 3-1 Win Over Saint Mary’s

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SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team clinched the No. 5 seed in the MIAC postseason tournament Saturday with a 3-1 win over Saint Mary’s. With the win the Gusties move to 14-14 overall and 7-4 in the MIAC.

“We did a really nice job blocking and serving today,” said Head Coach Rachelle Sherden. “That play in the first set was a huge momentum shift for our team and it just boosts everyone on our team.”

Gustavus came out strong in set one, using a strong stretch in the middle of the first set that saw the Gusties go on a 16-6 run to take game 25-18. The highlight of set one was when Kate Holtan (Jr., Rochester) somehow dug one out with one arm that Rhyan Herrmann (Fy., Brownton) was able to play over and after the Cardinals played one over Sydney Olson (Fy., Willmar) met it at the net with two-hand slammed  for the point and it proved to be a huge momentum shift.

Saint Mary’s was able to respond in set two, jumping out to a 17-9 lead and holding off a late Gustavus rally to win 25-19.

Set three played the closest of them all, with Gustavus gaining an 8-1 edge early, but the Cardinals slowly chipped away. Saint Mary’s was able to battle back into it and cut the Gustavus lead to 17-15, but the Gusties would slowly pull away late to take the set 25-21.

Gustavus dominated the final set, gaining a 15-5 advantage early. The Cardinals would score six of the next seven points to trim the lead to 16-11, but the Gusties closed out the set on a 9-1 run, including the final six points to take the set and match.

Holtan tallied 17 kills in a match to lead all attackers, while Olson added 10 kills and six blocks. Mitaya Johnson (Sr., Kasson) and Nora Lehmkuhl (Fy., Northfield) dished out 25 and 19 set assists, respectively, while Johnson added 10 digs for a double-double. Hailey Embacher (Jr., Mankato) anchored the back row with 22 digs, while Kylee Cox (So., Brooklyn Center) added 15.

“We had our best practice of the season Friday and we had one set where we were a little bit off today but I think they’re in a really good place and that they’re playing at their best right now,” said Sherden.

The Gusties will now take on No. 4 seed Augsburg on Tuesday night in Minneapolis at 7 p.m in a quarterfinal matchup.