ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team got back to its winning ways Friday, shutting out Carleton 25-18, 25-23, 25-23 to improve to 14-4 overall and 5-1 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
“We gelled really well tonight,” Head Coach Rachelle Sherden said. “When Carleton went on a few runs we were able to answer back with a run of our own. We were able to get the sideout pretty quick for the most part.”
The Gusties proved to be consistently efficient on the attack with percentages of .213, .214, and .212 in each set. Lauren Hanson (So., Redwood Falls, Minn.) and Hannah Albers (So., St. Louis, Mo.) paced the offense with 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Albers added 19 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. Nora Holtan (So., Rochester, Minn.) also had a double-double – her fifth – with 37 assists and 10 digs. Brittany Luethmers (So., Prior Lake, Minn.) was the constant presence on the back line with 21 digs.
“Our serving was really effective in getting them out of system and it made it a struggle for them to run their offense,” Sherden said. “Our blocking also picked up. Even though we weren’t getting kill blocks, we were slowing down some of their big attackers. Our offense was more evenly distributed tonight, which makes it a lot harder on their defense. We picked up a lot of fun, long rallies to gain some momentum.”
Carleton set the tone in the opening set with an early 8-6 lead until the Gusties rattled off five straight points to gain an 11-8 advantage and force a Carleton timeout. The Knights got within three points, but the Gusties were able to pull away in the end for a seven-point victory.
The two teams traded a few runs early in the second set. Carleton led 4-1, followed by five straight points for Gustavus, which was then answered by a 5-1 run by the Knights for 9-7 lead. The Gusties gained a 16-13 lead with a 7-2 run, forcing a Carleton timeout. The Knights slowly fought back and got the score within one point at 24-23, but a hard-hitting kill from Carly Thompson (Jr., Arlington Heights, Ill.) ended the threat and the set.
The Knights controlled the beginning of the third set, going on an 8-2 spree to force a Gustie timeout at 11-7. Sherden’s squad responded after the break with a 7-2 run to take a 14-13 advantage. Carleton immediately regained the lead with three straight points and held on to the advantage or a tie for a while, but the Gusties tied the score at 22-22, dropped the next point, and then won the match by taking the next three points.
Gustavus next travels to Macalester for a 7 p.m. match Wednesday.