SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team is set to open MIAC play Friday when they travel to Minneapolis where they’ll matchup against No. 18 Augsburg at 7 p.m. The Gusties enter the match 7-6 overall while the Auggies are 10-2.
Last Time Out: The Gustavus volleyball team hosted Minnesota-Morris for its home opener on Tuesday night and took the match in straight sets, 25-14, 25-17, 25-19. Gustavus played their best all-around match of the season, hitting .398 as a team. The attack percentage is the highest since Oct. 17, 2015 when the Gusties hit .413 against Simpson. Kate Holtan (Jr., Rochester) led the charge with 12 kills, hitting .450. Rhyan Herrmann (Fy., Brownton) and Sarah Elliott (Fy., Lombard, Ill.) supplemented the attack, both hitting above .300 with nine and seven kills, respectively. Kaylyn Johnston (Fy., Urbana, Ill.) and Mitaya Johnson (Sr., Kasson) split the setting duties with Johnston notching 21 set assists and Johnson amassing 15. Hailey Embacher (Jr., Mankato) led the defense with 16 digs, while Kaikea Welsh (So., Kansas City, Mo.) had five blocks.
Scouting the Gusties: Through 13 matches Holtan leads the attack with 148 kills, while Elliott has 101. Johnston has recorded the most set assists for the Gusties with 294, while Embacher has 205 digs. As a team the Black and Gold are hitting .185, while holding opponents to a mark of .163. Gustavus has been aggressive all season on the serve ranking third in the conference with 92 aces, while they also have the third most service errors with 111.
Scouting the Auggies: Augsburg enters the contest most recently winning a pair of contests against UW-La Crosse and Edgewood Saturday. Through 12 matches this season Augsburg is led by Kayla Gjerde who has 123 kills and an attack percentage of .239. Corinna Evans, who has missed the team’s last three contests due to injury, is second on the team with 80 kills, for an average of 2.42 per set. Izzy Barr and Lexie Lang split the setting duties, totaling 224 and 164 assists, respectively. Barr also leads the conference with 34 service aces while Jaelin Rios leads the Auggies with 166 digs.