SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team claimed a 3-0 sweep of Augsburg (15-12, 6-3 MIAC) Friday night at Gus Young Court. The Gusties (18-9, 9-0 MIAC) were dominant in the MIAC victory, winning by set scores of 25-16, 25-17, and 25-18. As a team, the Gusties hit .377 on the night, their best attacking percentage in conference play this season, with four players hitting above .350 in the match.
Set one started as a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, with neither taking more than a two-point lead through the first few rallies. The lead changed once after an early Augsburg advantage, but six tie scores kept either team from gaining momentum. The Gusties began to pull away after a
Leah Berg (Jr., Kenyon, Minn.) kill separated the lead by three, 14-11. Berg carried the team to a 25-16 set one victory, posting five more kills in a 12-5 run to claim the first victory of the night.
The Auggies once again picked up the first point of the set in the second, but the Gusties gave them no room to breathe, returning with a 6-1 run, featuring a trio of kills from three different attackers. The Auggies battled back to tie the score at 8-8, but struggled to overcome the hard-hitting home team, who pulled away thanks to the offensive efforts of
Lauren Klaith (5th, Rockford, Minn.). Klaith compiled five earth-shattering kills to help the Gusties build their lead to as many as eight, including the final, 25-17.
Augsburg gave the Gusties its very best in the third set, battling for the lead six times through the set's opening serves. Set three was
Sophia Deyak's (So., Iowa City, Iowa) time to shine, though, as the sophomore separated the Gustie lead for good with four kills in a 7-3 run. An Auggie timeout helped the visitors collect three kills to cut the lead to four, but it wasn't nearly enough, as the Gusties rattled off seven kills in their last eight points of the set to win 25-18 and clinch their eighth conference sweep of the season.
Klaith led the balanced Gustie offense with 15 kills on 34 attempts with no errors (.441), while Deyak and Berg each chipped in 13 to the team total, with Deyak hitting .500 in the match.
Kasie Tweet (5th, Adrian, Minn.) continued to inch closer to Nora Holtan's '19 all-time assist record, just 23 away after a 44-assist performance. The MIAC Volleyball Specialist of the Week added a pair of kills, a service ace, and eight digs to her stat line as well.
Olivia Stockham (Jr., Big Lake, Minn.) led the defense with 11 digs, while
Payton Auseth (Sr., Chaska, Minn.) and
Brynn Smith (Sr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) collected nine each.
The Gusties are back in action on Saturday, traveling to Bethel (18-7, 8-1 MIAC) for a key conference match-up with the Royals, who are tied for second in the MIAC behind the league-leading Gusties. Following Saturday's match, the team only has St. Catherine (18-7, 8-1 MIAC) remaining in the regular season, hosting the Wildcats for Senior Night on Nov. 9 at Gus Young Court.
