SAINT PETER, Minn. – After 14 road matches to start the season – against some of the nation's best talent nonetheless – the Gustavus volleyball team's first match at home was a welcome sight to fans, players, and coaches alike. The Gusties (8-7, 1-0 MIAC) did not disappoint, either, treating the crowd at Gus Young Court to a 3-0 sweep of Carleton (8-5, 0-1 MIAC) to open conference play.
Carleton, facing the heavy-hitting No. 17 Gusties, stepped up to the challenge to start the first set, taking an early 4-0 lead thanks in part to a pair of service aces.
Kasie Tweet (5th, Adrian) got the Gusties back on track, logging the first kill of the day on a set-over. Tweet added an ace of her own on the next play, to set the tone for what later became a runaway set for the Gusties.
Leah Berg (Jr., Kenyon) proved to be the early difference maker, notching a trio of consecutive kills to help the Gusties take the lead for good in set one. From there, the Gusties capitalized on four consecutive attack errors by the Knights with
Sydney Timm (Jr., Lakeville) on the serve. Carleton couldn't overcome the lead, as the Gusties built it to as many as 11, including the final, 25-14, which was set on a
Sophia Deyak (So., Iowa City, Iowa) kill.
The Gusties gave Carleton no room to breathe in the second set, taking the lead early and never relinquishing it for a 25-15 set two victory.
Lauren Klaith (5th, Rockford) found her stride in the second set, compiling six kills and a service ace to lead the Gustie offense. The Gusties got well-timed blocks from Deyak, Tweet, and
Kiera Petersen (So., Woodbury), while a kill from Klaith gave the Gusties a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set three took shape to be a classic MIAC battle between the two teams, with eight tie scores from the first serve to 22-22. The lead changed three times throughout the final set, as Carleton used a balanced offensive attack, getting kills from seven different players, to hold pace with the No. 17 team in the nation. Timm was lethal in the third, though, collecting seven kills on 10 attempts to lead the team to a 25-23 victory, contributing the final two Gustie points of the night.
Three Gusties totaled double-digit kills, led by Berg and Klaith with 11, while Timm chipped in 10. Tweet collected another double-double on the season with 10 digs and 31 assists, while
Maren Sundberg (Jr., Eagan) led the back line with 18 digs of her own. In addition to Klaith's 11 kills, she added four aces, while Tweet chipped in three to a team total of nine.
The Gusties are back in action Friday, making the trip to Winona to face Saint Mary's (9-7, 0-0 MIAC) before heading to UW-Platteville for a triangular with the Pioneers and Aurora University Saturday.
