St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College volleyball team is set to host the 2014 Gustavus Volleyball Invitational this weekend on Gus Young Court in St. Peter, Minnesota. Along with the host Gusties, participating teams in this weekend’s tournament include Augsburg College, Bethel University, Buena Vista University, Coe College, University of Minnesota, Morris, Simpson College, and University of Wisconsin-Stout.
The Gustavus Invitational will begin on Friday, Sept. 12 with matches taking place at 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 8:00 p.m. The tournament will conclude on Saturday, Sept. 13 with matches being played at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. Matches will be contested simultaneously on courts 1 and 2 in the Lund Center Forum.
The Gustavus Invitational features a field made up of eight teams who come from four different NCAA Division III conferences including the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC), the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). Gustavus, Augsburg, and Bethel represent the MIAC, Buena Vista, Coe, and Simpson represent the IIAC, UW-Stout represents the WIAC, and UM-Morris represents the UMAC.
Heading into the weekend, Coe and Bethel roll into St. Peter with the best records at 8-1 and 8-2, respectively. Augsburg is 7-2, UM-Morris is 6-2, UW-Stout is 5-2, Buena Vista is 5-6, Simpson is 4-2, and Gustavus is 3-5. In the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Poll released Tuesday, Sept. 9, Coe ranks No. 20 while Augsburg ranks No. 24. The Auggies won the 2013 Gustavus Invitational after going 4-0 and only losing one game over the weekend. Gustavus and Simpson both went 3-1, while UM-Morris rounded out the returning competitors with a 1-1 mark.
The top five hitters in this weekend’s tournament come from Augsburg, Bethel, Buena Vista, and Coe. Leading all offensive players is Buena Vista’s Maddie Bardole who has recorded 193 kills. Her teammate, Jade Schaap, sits next in line with 150 kills, while Bethel’s Kristin Stern rounds out the top three attackers in third with 125. Augsburg’s Ashley Peper ranks with fourth with 118, and Bethel’s Carlee Hoppe sits fifth with 107.
Of the top five back row players, two head up the Buena Vista defensive unit. Jordan Henningsen leads the field with a total of 215 digs while teammate Maddie Bardole ranks fourth with 125. Paige Breneman of Gustavus ranks second with 156 digs, Mackensie Menke of Augsburg ranks third with 143, and Alissa Wittenburg of Coe ranks fifth with 120.
Setters to keep an eye on this weekend include Laura Berry of Buena Vista, Katie Lubben of Bethel, Courtney Lemke of Augsburg, Mackenzie Harbaugh of Coe, and Katie Kiefer of Simpson. Berry leads the group with 425 set assists, Lubben ranks second with 378, Lemke ranks third with 331, Harbaugh ranks fourth with 281, and Kieffer ranks fifth with 250.
Box scores from each match will be posted to the tournament website schedule/results page shortly after the conclusion of each match. At the conclusion of the tournament, an eight-player All-Tournament Team will be announced as voted on by the respective head coaches.
Ticket prices are as follows: Adults – $5.00; Students – $4.00; Adult 2-Day Pass – $8.00; Student 2-Day Pass – $6.00, Seniors (62+), Kids (12 and under) – Free