MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team wrapped up competition at the Augsburg Invite Saturday, finishing the weekend 2-1. The Gusties started with a sweep over Nebraska Wesleyan before dropping a five-set heartbreaker to UW-Eau Claire.
Gustavus 3, Nebraska Wesleyan 0
The Gusties started the day against Nebraska Wesleyan, picking up their second sweep of the season over the Prairie Wolves.
Gustavus set the tone from the first serve, jumping out to a quick 7-3 lead in the first set. The Prairie Wolves returned the favor, though, going for their own 7-3 run to tie the score at 10-10.
Kasie Tweet (5th, Adrian) on the serve got the Gusties back on track, as Tweet helped the team deliver four consecutive points to retake the lead for good. Six different Gusties added kills to claim the set one victory, 25-21.
Set two started as a back-and-forth battle, with nine tie scores and four lead changes between the two teams. A 14-9 run sparked by a pair of
Sydney Timm (Jr., Lakeville) kills gave the Gusties the momentum they need to take set two, 25-20. NWU cut the Gustie lead to one five times in the final plays of the set, but kills from Timm and
Marlee Turn (5th, Kennedy) and a pair of Nebraska Wesleyan attack errors sealed the set two victory.
Set three told the tale of a much different story. Any energy the Prairie Wolves had through the first two sets ran out against the heavy-hitting No. 10 Gusties, as Head Coach
Rachelle Sherden's squad delivered a 25-12 final blow to NWU to earn the sweep.
Nebraska Wesleyan took the first two points of set three, but the lead was short-lived, as the Gusties came back firing on all cylinders, going on a 15-4 run to build their lead to as many as 13 over NWU, including the 25-12 final. The Gusties hit .355 compared to a negative .061 for the Prairie Wolves, getting a trio kills from
Sophia Deyak (So. Iowa City, Iowa), Timm, and
Lauren Klaith (5th, Rockford) in set three. Kliath hit an impressive .750, while
Maren Sundberg (Jr., Eagan) on the serve helped the team deliver five consecutive points in the match-clinching victory.
The duo of
Sydney Timm and
Lauren Klaith led the Gustie offense in match one of the day, with Timm posting 12 kills and Klaith 11. The team totaled 10 blocks, five of which came from
Kiera Petersen (So., Woodbury), while Tweet continued to direct the offense with 33 assists. Defensively, Sundberg added 16 kills, while senior
Brynn Smith (Brooklyn Park) posted 10 in the victory.
Gustavus 2, UW-Eau Claire 3
The Gusties' second match of the day was a heartbreaker, as UW-Eau Claire dealt Gustavus a 3-2 defeat to end the Augsburg Invitational. Four of the five sets were decided by a two-point margin in the marathon of a match, but the Blugolds took home the victory over the No. 10 Gusties, thanks large in part to a 27-kill performance from Mya Cinnamo.
The Gusties won the first set on the back of
Lauren Klaith, who totaled five kills to set the tone. Both teams went back and forth to start, with eight tie scores, but the lead only changed twice throughout the set. Kills from Klaith, Deyak, and Timm broke the tie at 23-21, forcing a Blugold timeout. A
Kiera Petersen kill and Eau Claire attack error ended the first set in favor of the Gusties, 25-23.
The two teams showcased their endurance in set two, as the battle continued, featuring 13 tie scores with neither team taking more than a four point lead. A
Marlee Turn kill put the Gusties up 19-15 midway through the set, but Eau Claire battled back with five kills to even the score once again. UWEC took the lead at 25-24 and never gave it up, keeping the Gusties at bay, never allowing more than one consecutive Gustie point. A pair of Blugold kills ended set two at 29-27 in favor of Eau Claire.
UWEC used the energy from the set two thriller to deal the Gusties a 25-18 loss in set three. Despite compiling their best attacking percentage of the match with 15 kills and just one error, four service aces and a pair of blocks helped the Blugolds take a 2-1 lead.
The Gusties, determined to send the match to five, were certainly convincing throughout the fourth set, leading Eau Claire by five three times through the first few serves. The Blugolds would not go down without a fight, though, tying the score at 22-22 and 23-23, before Deyak sealed the Gustie victory with a kill, 26-24. The fifth and final set saw a trio of lead changes and seven tie scores, but attacking errors and four Blugold blocks plagued the Gusties, who were unable to overcome the UW-Eau Claire momentum in the 16-14 loss.
Three different Gusties tallied double-digit kills against Eau Claire, led by
Lauren Klaith with 21. Timm added 18 and Deyak chipped in 16 to the team's total 73.
Kasie Tweet set a new career-high with 61 assists in the match, and added 18 digs to complete the double-double.
Maren Sundberg led the defensive efforts with 27 digs, while Turn and Timm both had digs in the double-digits. Timm and Tweet were both named to the Invite's All-Tournament team for their performances throughout the weekend.
The Gusties, now 5-2 on the year, will face Bethany Lutheran Tuesday for a non-conference match-up in Mankato.
