Gustavus vs. St. Thomas
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 11
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: St. Peter, Minn. | Gus Young Court
Live Coverage: Live Stats | Video
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action Wednesday evening, hosting the University of St. Thomas during Cancer Awareness Night at Gus Young Court in a matchup of the top two teams in the conference standings.
CANCER AWARENESS NIGHT
The Gusties host Cancer Awareness Night in dedication to Trina Rinke, a would-be junior midfielder on the Gustavus women’s soccer team this season, who was forced to forego the season and the fall semester while she goes through chemotherapy as a result of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Several auction and raffle items will be available, including four Minnesota Timberwolves tickets along with a gift basket from the Gustavus Bookmark. Breaks in-between sets two and three will be held for a paper plane toss, where Gustie Volleyball shirts and gift cards will be given out. Raffle winners will also be announced during the break.
LAST TIME OUT
Prior to sweeping St. Olaf College last Wednesday in Northfield, Minn., the Black and Gold went unbeaten at the Wartburg College Invitational over the weekend, defeating Wisconsin-La Crosse, Wartburg, and Luther College while improving their overall record to 19-3 on the season.
HOLTAN SISTERS EARN MIAC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS
The dynamic sibling duo of Kate Holtan (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) and Nora Holtan (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) led the Gusties to a 4-0 week en route to earning MIAC Volleyball Hitter/Setter of the Week awards.
In four matches, Kate tallied 55 kills and averaged 3.9 kills per set. In the first match of the Wartburg Invite versus UW-La Crosse, Holtan recorded a season-high 19 kills on 39 attempts to post an efficient .436 attack percentage. During the following match against Wartburg, Holtan picked up a double-double with 16 kills and a season-high 16 digs.
Nora earned her seventh career Athlete of the Week honor as she compiled 165 assists to average 11.8 per set last week. In each match against St. Olaf and Wartburg, Holtan notched seven kills and zero errors for attacking clips of .583 and .412. She also opened the Wartburg Invite with double-doubles in two consecutive matches. Additionally, Holtan tallied 39 digs and six blocks throughout the week. For her performance, Holtan earned a spot on the Wartburg Invite All-Tournament Team.
IN THE POLLS
The Gusties remained in the same spot in the most recent Division III National rankings, ranking No. 11 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll for the third consecutive week. Fellow MIAC opponents St. Thomas dropped from No. 17 to No. 19, along with Bethel University receiving votes.
THE SERIES
Wednesday’s contest marks the 55th all-time meeting between Gustavus and St. Thomas with the Tommies holding a 34-19-1 advantage over the Gusties. The two teams have posted a 3-3 series record over the past five seasons. Last season, Gustavus defeated St. Thomas twice, most recently a 3-2 victory in a MIAC Semifinal matchup at Gus Young Court.
SCOUTING ST. THOMAS
The No. 19 ranked Tommies sit atop of the conference standings with an unbeaten 5-0 MIAC record to go along with their 19-4 overall record. St. Thomas most recently competed at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Classic and went unbeaten with four sweeps. The Tommies average 13.1 kills per set and own a .228 attack percentage, both marks ranking second in the conference behind Gustavus. Grace Bordson and Whitney Lloyd rank number one and two in the MIAC, hitting .367 and .337. Lloyd leads the Tommies with 177 kills, averaging 3.11 per set. Ellie Meyer guides the defense with 4.84 per set, having compiled 339 on the season.
GUSTAVUS NOTABLES
- The Gusties rank first in the MIAC with 13.5 kills per set and a .237 attack percentage, while ranking second with 1,345 digs to average 17.7 per set.
- Nora Holtan ranks third in the MIAC with 746 assists.
- Brittany Luethmers (Jr., Prior Lake, Minn.) ranks second in the MIAC with 5.11 digs per set.
- Kate Holtan leads the Gustie attack with 235 kills (5th/MIAC), averaging 3.09 per set.