ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team traveled to St. Joseph to take on No. 12 Saint Benedict on Saturday and fell to the Bennies 3-1. With the loss the Gusties fall to 12-14 overall and 5-4 in the MIAC, while the Bennies improve to 21-3 overall and 7-2 in the conference.
The Gusties fell behind early in the first set 8-4 but came alive midway through, going on a 10-3 run to to take a 14-11 lead. Saint Ben’s would fight their way back into the set, evening things at 20. Gustavus rallied though, taking four of the next five points to get to set point at 24-21. The Bennies would get a kill to bring it back within two, but a Kate Holtan (Jr., Rochester) kill would end the set.
Set two started off in Gustavus’s favor as they gained a 7-6 lead, but Saint Ben’s would score nine of the next 10 points, thanks in part to three Bennie blocks, to take a 15-8 edge. The Gusties would pull the lead within five, but the Bennies would push back, eventually taking the set 25-15.
Set three was similar to set two as the two teams played to a 7-7 tie early on. The Bennies took control in the middle of the set thanks to a strong attack and slowly built on their lead, eventually winning the set 25-14.
The two teams played even again at the outset of the fourth set, with the Gusties scoring three straight early to even the score at 8-8. Saint Ben’s found their groove in the middle of the set, working their way to a 19-13 advantage. Gustavus would score five of the next six to bring the score to 20-18, but the Bennies would take five of the last seven points to close out the set and the match.
The Bennies came into the contest the best blocking team of any MIAC foe, and they built on that mark as they had 14 blocks in the contest.
Holtan paced the Gusties with 14 kills and 10 digs in the match for a double-double, while Sydney Olson (Fy., Willmar) added a career-high 11 kills. Nora Lehmkuhl (Fy., Northfield) dished out 26 assists to lead Gustavus, while Hailey Embacher (Jr., Mankato) led the Gusties in the back row with 18 digs.
The Gusties will next be in action Wednesday as they host Macalester at 7 p.m.