ST. PETER, Minn. – After dropping the first two sets Friday night, the Gustavus volleyball team dug deep and rallied for an impressive five-set victory over Concordia College. The Gusties posted a convincing 15-3 win in the fifth set, marking the program’s largest margin of victory in the fifth game since rally point scoring debuted in 2001. The win propels the Gusties to 19-6 overall and 7-1 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Cobbers fall to 8-15 overall and 4-4 in the league.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud of a team to play like that, to go through the adversity in literally half a match with a couple injuries and four new people on the court, that just shows their mental toughness,” Head Coach Rachelle Sherden said of the team’s play in the fifth set. “Nothing was going to stop them and they kept rolling in that fifth set. I was really proud of the people that stepped in and did their job.”
Hard-hitting ride side Taylor Trautman (Sr., Hutchinson, Minn.) impressed on Senior Night, leading the team with a career-high 22 kills and a .366 attack percentage. She also dug out 12 attacks for her first double-double of the season, while adding two solo and three block assists.
“She was in the zone and was ready to do whatever she needed tonight,” Sherden said of Trautman. “It’s the epitome of leaving everything on the floor on Senior Night. She was lights out in everything; blocking, defense, and digging.”
Nora Holtan (So., Rochester, Minn.) was one helper shy of her career-high, posting 59 assists along with 17 digs. In just her second season on the team, Holtan is already nearing the 2,000-assist mark in her young career with 1,933 assists. Brittany Luethmers (So., Prior Lake, Minn.) tallied a team-high 27 digs, surpassing the 1,000-dig mark in her young career. Luethmers now has 1,009 digs, becoming the eighth Gustie to reach the 1,000-dig mark in program history.
“She’s just the constant; steady and does her job,” Sherden said of Luethmers. “She rarely gets rattled and is so important in that role. She saves us a lot on the balls she gets up.”
Gustavus started the game on the right foot, taking an early 6-1 lead in the first set. Concordia rallied with an 8-4 run to come within one point and from that point on it was a back and forth affair. The two teams traded the lead twice and were tied three times, resulting in a 18-18 score. Gustavus responded with three straight points to force a Concordia timeout. The Cobbers took advantage of the break and came out with four straight points to gain a 22-21 lead. The Gusties tied the score twice more, but the Cobbers closed out the set on a Gustavus attack error and a kill by Emma Chandler.
Concordia took the first four points in the second set and never trailed the rest of the way. The Gusties got within two points of the lead at 14-12, but five straight Cobber points paved the way to a seven-point victory.
With their backs against the wall, the Gusties came out strong in the third set with a 13-5 lead. Gustavus increased its lead to 16-7, forcing a Concordia timeout, but the Cobbers again took advantage of the break and went on a 13-5 run to come within one point at 21-20. The Gusties buckled down, though, and took four of the last six volleys for the win.
The Black and Gold scored the first two points of the fourth set and never trailed. Concordia brought the score within three points at 11-8, but the Gusties finished the game with a 14-6 run for the convincing win.
Concordia claimed the first point in the fifth set, but the Gusties stole the momentum in an instant and rattled off an impressive 14-straight points for a commanding 14-1 lead. The Cobbers got two more points on a pair of Gustie attack errors, but a kill by Lauren Hanson (So., Redwood Falls, Minn.) sealed the victory.
Gustavus continues MIAC play at home tomorrow against Saint Benedict (12-10, 5-3 MIAC), who defeated Carleton 3-1 tonight. First serve tomorrow is at 3 p.m.