SAINT PETER, Minn. - The Gustavus Adolphus College volleyball team took down Saint Benedict 3-1 on Saturday night in their MIAC opener, improving to 13-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
 
The Gusties opened strong with early kills from Sydney Timm and Logan Brent, taking an early 2-1 lead. Gustavus held the lead until Saint Benedict tied the set at 19-19. The Gusties retook the lead on another kill by Timm, but the Bennies went on a 3-0 run to go up 22-20. The teams traded kills in a back-and-forth battle down the stretch, with St. Ben's two-point lead proving the difference maker to take the set 25-23.
 
Gustavus responded emphatically in the second set, opening with an 8-2 run. The Gusties dominated at the net with Leah Berg and Olivia Stockham combining for key blocks and kills. Gustavus closed the set on a 6-0 run, capped by a Greta Tompkins kill and back-to-back Saint Benedict attack errors, evening the match with a decisive 25-12 win.
 
The Gusties carried their momentum into the third, jumping out to a 5-1 lead. A service ace from Timm later extended the lead to 10-5, and Gustavus continued to roll with Berg and Macie Malchow leading a strong offensive stretch. Gustavus dominated at the net, forcing multiple Saint Benedict errors and finishing the set with a commanding 25-14 victory to take a 2-1 lead.
 
Gustavus closed out the match in dominant fashion. A quick 4-1 lead was extended by kills from Timm and Tompkins, and Malchow's serving pushed the advantage to 20-8. Berg and Deyak combined for key blocks, while Grace Banse entered to deliver a late kill. Despite a brief Saint Benedict rally, Gustavus sealed the match with a service error from the visitors, taking the final set 25-14.
 
Gustavus' attack was led by Timm, who recorded 13 kills, four assists, and six digs while hitting .286. Leah Berg followed with 12 kills on a .323 hitting percentage, while Logan Brent added nine kills.
 
Setter Macie Malchow orchestrated the offense with 31 assists, seven kills, and a team-high 19 digs. Olson chipped in 14 digs and three assists, while Greta Tompkins was a force at the net with seven kills on .462 hitting and two blocks.
 
As a team, Gustavus hit .246 with 53 kills, 65 digs, and seven service aces across four sets.

Up next for the Gusties is a conference road match on Saturday, September 27 at 5:00 p.m. at St. Catherine University.
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