SAINT PETER, Minn. – No. 25 Gustavus volleyball collected a conference sweep Friday night at Gus Young Court, defeating St. Scholastica 3-0 to improve to 11-9 overall and 4-0 in the MIAC.
The Gusties claimed set one 25-19, and after a tightly contested 25-22 win in set two, sent the Saints (9-10, 1-3 MIAC) back to Duluth with a dominating 25-11 win in the third to close things out.
Fresh off the bus, the Saints came out hot against the nationally-ranked Gusties, claiming an early 4-1 lead on a pair of kills and a Gustie attack error. Two CSS errors turned things around in favor of the Gusties, sparking a 9-1 run to take the lead for good.
Leah Berg (Jr., Kenyon) made the difference, collecting a pair of kills in what would be the last scoring run of set one for either team. The Saints and the Gusties each tallied 13 finish the set, with
Lauren Klaith (5th, Rockford) delivering five kills, keeping the Saints at arm's length for the 25-19 win.
Set two saw eight tie scores between the two teams, as St. Scholastica put up its best fight, leading the Gusties for the first half of the set. Scholastica controlled the scoreboard from the first serve, keeping the Gusties behind by as many as four before either team reached double digits. Kills from Klaith,
Kiera Petersen (So., Woodbury), and Berg accounted for a trio of tie scores, but it was
Sophia Deyak (So., Iowa City, Iowa) who delivered the blow that ended the Saints' run at 13-13.
One lead change in the second set was all the Gusties needed, getting three more kills from Berg to end the second with a 12-9 advantage over St. Scholastica, winning set two 25-22.
The Saints did their best to maintain their momentum in the third, tying the score three times following the set's opening serve, but once the Gusties took the lead at 4-3, a well-balanced attack and seven kills out of the hands of Deyak helped the team wrap things up on their home court. The Gusties dominated the set with a number of impressive scoring runs, holding the Saints to just six kills, while totaling a pair of service aces and three blocks to collect a 25-11 victory.
The Gusties hit .267 as a team, led by the efforts of Berg and Deyak, each with 13 kills, while Klaith totaled 10.
Kasie Tweet (5th, Adrian) directed the Gustie offense with 40 assists, and added a service ace and six digs to her line. Every Gustie that saw time on the court collected a dig, led by
Maren Sundberg (Jr., Eagan) with 21, and
Brynn Smith (Sr., Brooklyn Park) with 11.
The Gusties are back in action for a quick turnaround, hosting Hamline (8-11, 1-3 MIAC) for Homecoming and Alumni Day at Gus Young Court Saturday night.
