ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team continued its winning ways Saturday, defeating St. Catherine in straight sets 27-25, 28-26 and 25-20. With the win the Gusties improve to 12-2 overall and 3-0 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while extending their win streak to 12 matches.
“Today was a super tight match,” Head Coach Rachelle Sherden said. “St. Kate’s is the scrappiest team that we have seen all season and they have a very fast offense. Every rally was a battle. Our team did a good job of fighting and finishing at the end.”
Gustavus jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set and held the advantage until the Wildcats scored four consecutive points to take an 8-6 lead. St. Kate’s continued to play in front for the majority of the set and held a 22-17 lead late, forcing a Gustavus timeout. After the break, the Gusties came out reenergized and went on a 6-1 run to tie the score at 23-23. The Wildcats claimed two out of the next three volleys and held set point, but the Gusties closed out the set with three straight points.
The Black and Gold rolled that momentum into the second frame with a quick 7-2 lead. St. Kate’s battled back and was able to tie the score five times at 11, 22, 24, 25 and 26, but back-to-back kills by Lauren Hanson (Fy., Redwood Falls, Minn.) gave to Gusties a 28-26 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Once again, Gustavus used its momentum from the end of the second and jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the third. The Gusties increased their lead to as much as seven points at 17-10, forcing a Wildcat timeout. St. Kate’s used the break in action to its advantage and claimed the following five points, forcing Gustavus to use a timeout. But the Gusties then finished out the set on an 8-5 run for the win.
“It was good to see our team respond with discipline and aggressiveness even when we were down or the score was tight at the end of the match,” Sherden said. “We didn’t play perfect volleyball but we battled.”
Taylor Trautman (Jr., Hutchinson, Minn.) and Alyssa Taylor (Sr., Trimont, Minn.) led the Gusties on the attack with 15 kills each. Trautman also tallied 11 digs for a double-double, while Taylor was most efficient on the kill with an attack percentage of .519 (15-27, 1 error).
Nora Holtan (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) also posted a double-double with a season-high 43 assists and 17 digs. Brittany Luethmers (Fy., Prior Lake, Minn.) led the back line with 27 digs.
Gustavus continues MIAC play at 7 p.m., Sept. 30 as it hosts Augsburg.