ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Gusties’ post-season run came to a close Friday night, falling to UW-Whitewater in the NCAA Regional Semifinal, 3-1. The Gusties finish their season with an overall record of 26-5.
The Gusties found themselves down early in set one, as the Warhawks took a 7-2 lead. The Gusties would battle back to even the score at 8-8, including a run of four unanswered points thanks to kills from Lauren Klaith (Jr., Rockford). Marlee Turn (Jr., Kennedy) and Courtney Peterson (Sr., Jamestown, N.D.) would lead the Gustie offense through the first frame, posting four kills each, while Payton Auseth (So., Chaska) added two service aces from the line. Heavy-hitting Whitewater posted six aces en route to their 25-23 set one victory.
Set two started with even pressure from both teams, with the Gusties finding themselves with a 9-5 lead forcing a Warhawk timeout. It was all Gusties from that point on, as they would build their lead to as many as nine, 17-8, before putting set two away 25-22.
Both teams went one-for-one in set three, with neither team taking more than a three point lead through the set’s first 39 points. The Warhawks got one point up at 19-18, and the Gusties struggled to catch up as the Warhawks would pull away to win set three 25-20.
Entering set four down two sets for just the second time all season, the Gusties took an early lead at 6-3, thanks to back-to-back kills from Sydney Olson (Sr., Willmar). The Gusties continued to build their lead to as many as five before Whitewater turned on their offense. The Warhawks evened the score three times before racing off to build a lead of their own. The Warhawks rattled off four unanswered points, helping them to an eventual 25-18 set four victory over the Gusties.
Turn finished once again with the offensive lead for the Gusties, totaling 16 kills. Turn matched her kills with a team-leading 16 digs, as well. Lauren Klaith posted eight kills on the night, while Sarah Elliott (Sr., Lombard, Ill.) and Peterson both added seven each. Kasie Tweet (Jr., Adrian) finished with 33 assists and 11 digs, while Maren Sundberg (Fy., Eagan) posted 12 digs.
The Gusties finish the season 26-5 overall, while UW-Whitewater will go on to compete in the NCAA Regional Final against either UW-Stevens Point or Northwestern-St. Paul.
a great year filled with awesome vb matches to watch congrates to the team and the coaches