ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team made the trip to Saint Benedict (8-11, 4-3 MIAC) Saturday evening, facing a Bennie team hot off a pair of impressive victories. The Gusties (17-9, 8-0 MIAC), while they dropped their first MIAC set of the season, impressed on the road, defeating the Bennies 3-1.
The two hour bus ride didn't slow the Gusties down in their first set of the day, dominating from the first serve at Claire Lynch Hall. Gustavus opened the match with a 9-3 run, led by three straight kills with
Macie Malchow (Fy., Sioux Falls, S.D.) on the serve and a
Sophia Deyak (So., Iowa City, Iowa) block to force an early CSB timeout. The Gusties never took their foot off the gas, holding the Bennies at arm's length, building their lead to as many as eight. Saint Benedict cut the advantage in half, but a 5-1 run highlighted by a pair of kills from
Leah Berg (Jr., Kenyon) ended set one, 25-15.
Saint Benedict led a number of times in the first few serves of set two, but a kill from Deyak and block from the sophomore middle and Berg ushered the team back into the set. CSB regained the lead once more, 8-7, but a service error followed by a
Sydney Timm (Jr., Lakeville) ace put the Gusties back on top. While the Gusties never trailed for the remainder of the set, Saint Benedict tied the score once more at 21-21, but a pair of Gustavus kills and a Bennie attack error ended the set 25-22 for a 2-0 Gustie lead.
The Bennies, who upset No. 13 Northwestern-St. Paul in five a week earlier, gave the Gusties their very best in the third set, despite three quick points for the visitors. CSB rattled off nine consecutive points, five of which came on service aces, for a 9-3 advantage. Gustavus battled back, going on a 7-3 run of their own, but it only brought them within two of the Bennie lead. A pair of timeouts and substitutions didn't slow Saint Benedict down, as the home team delivered six more points on four kills and a pair of attack errors. The Bennies closed things out to deliver the Gusties their first conference set loss in 385 days (3-1 win at Hamline - Oct. 7), 25-14.
Unfazed by the fourth set force, Deyak opened things strong for the Gusties with a monster kill past the Bennie defense to set the tone. With
Mara Holland (Jr., Decorah, Iowa) on the serve, the Gusties claimed six consecutive points to open the fourth set. CSB brought the lead within three, but the combination of a balanced attack and Holland on the serve helped Gustavus double the Bennie points with a 12-6 run. A CSB service error ended the match for the Gusties with a 25-14 set four victory, helping the team pick up its eighth conference win.
Berg and Deyak led the Gustie offense, each with 13 kills. Klaith added 10, while
Kasie Tweet (5th, Adrian) collected 37 assists and 14 digs for her second double-double of the week. Tweet and Malchow each had a pair of service aces, while four other Gusties chipped in for a total of eight on the serve as a team. Tweet's 14 digs were the most for the squad, while
Olivia Stockham (Jr., Big Lake) and
Brynn Smith (Sr., Brooklyn Park) each tallied 13.
The Gusties play Friday and Saturday of next week as well, hosting Augsburg (14-10, 5-2 MIAC) first, followed by a trip to Bethel (17-5, 7-0 MIAC) on Saturday.
