SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team swept their way to a MIAC Championship on Friday night with scores of 25-19, 25-19, and 25-18 over St. Olaf. With their fifth straight sweep, the Gusties improve to 25-5. Gustavus advances to the MIAC playoff title match for the fourth time in six years and will host number two seed, Bethel.
“I felt like offensively and defensively each player was locked in and ready to execute the game plan,” said Head Coach Rachelle Sherden. “We served aggressively and were able to get them out of system which helped us to slow down their middles. It was a long week of preparing and lots of anticipation going into the match and we were excited to get to compete in front of an awesome home crowd! We look forward to a great matchup against Bethel and a packed Lund.”
The Gusties were off to the races in the first set with a 13-5 lead right out of the gate. A handful of Ole kills narrowed the deficit, but a Marlee Turn (So., Kennedy) service ace and a final Kate Holtan (Sr., Rochester) kill put Gustavus on top of a 1-0 advantage.
The Oles had the upper hand in set two, tying it at 8-8 and taking advantage of Gustie errors for a three point lead. Gustavus took a time out as the tie continued to 18-18 before the Gusties went on a four point run to make it a 2-0 match.
Gustavus looked to punch their ticket to a MIAC Championship gaining a five point edge throughout the third set and concluded the sweep with a 25-18 closer.
Four Gusties hit above .300 and .308 as a team. Kasie Tweet (So., Adrian) boasted a 40-assist performance and coming off of MIAC Player of the Year honors, Holtan had a 17-kill, 12-dig double-double for Gustavus – match-highs in both categories. Gustavus also remained strong on the serve with a .932 percentage.
The Gusties will host the Bethel Royals in the MIAC Championship on Saturday night with a 7:00 first set.