WAVERLY, Iowa – The Gustavus Adolphus College volleyball team closed their weekend competition at the Wartburg Invitational with matches against the University of Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils and the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings on Saturday. The Gusties took down the Blue Devils 3-1 and swept the Vikings 3-0 to complete a 4-0 run at the weekend invitational following wins over Wheaton and Wartburg on Friday. With the wins, Gustavus improved to 5-2 overall on the season with a five-match winning streak.
Match One vs. UW-Stout
In the first match of the day, the Blue Devils used an early 7-2 run to take a 10-6 lead. The Gusties responded with an 8-3 run of their own to retake the lead up 14-13. UW-Stout rallied to take a 17-15 lead, which would be the last time either team led by more than one point until the end of the set. Gustavus had the first set-point up 24-23, but the Blue Devils survived to tie the set. The Gusties had two more set-points, but it was UW-Stout who prevailed in the opening set with a 28-26 victory.
In the second set, Gustavus leapt out to a 7-3 lead. The Blue Devils won the next two points to pull within two, but then the Gusties took the next six points in a row to go up 11-5. Gustavus led by as many as 10 points in the set up 19-9, though UW-Stout started to rally and cut the deficit down to six at 23-17. The Gusties went on to take the set 25-18 to tie the match up at 1-1.
Gustavus led 11-10 early in the third set and then leapt out to a 19-11 lead with an 8-1 run. The Blue Devils climbed back to within five points down 22-17, but the Gusties closed out the set 25-18 to go up 2-1 in the match.
UW-Stout led 6-3 early in the fourth, but then Gustavus battled back to take an 11-8 lead. The Blue Devils retook the lead to 18-17 later in the set, and from then on the two teams battled neck-and-neck down the stretch with neither team leading by more than one until the final point. UW-Stout got the first set-point opportunity up 24-23, but the Gusties survived it. Gustavus then had their first match-point of the set up 25-24, but this time the Blue Devils survived to live another point. The Gusties had three more match points and finally, up 28-27, a
Kyra Johnson service ace clinched the set 29-17 and the match 3-1 for Gustavus.
Johnson led Gustavus with 17 kills on .205 hitting.
Logan Brent followed with 16 kills, hitting .314 with two aces.
Sahara Morken and
Macie Malchow orchestrated the Gusties' offense with 33 and 19 assists, respectively.
Ava Hahn led the defense with 20 digs while Malchow and
Ella Olson followed with 10 each.
Match Two vs. Bethany Lutheran
In the second match of the day and the fourth and final match of the Wartburg Invite for Gustavus, the Gusties and Vikings battled within two points of each other through the first half of the set. Gustavus went up 11-8 for the first three-point lead of the set and then won seven of the next 11 points to take an 18-12 lead. BLC climbed back to go within two down 19-17, but the Gusties closed out the set with a 6-1 run to take it 25-18 and go up 1-0 in the match.
After an early 3-3 tie in the second set, Gustavus caught fire for an 8-0 run to take an 11-3 lead. Later I the set, up 14-8, the Gusties again sparked a big 6-1 run to go up 20-9. Gustavus closed out the set 25-13 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Gusties led 6-5 in the third until a big 8-2 run put them up 13-8. The Vikings won the next two points, but then a 7-1 run for Gustavus gave them a 20-11 lead. The Gusties closed out the set with a 25-16 victory to secure the 3-0 match sweep over Bethany Lutheran.
Kyra Johnson again led the Gustavus attack with 13 kills on .265 hitting.
Sahara Morken had 33 assists to lead the team.
Lainie Barrick had five total blocks and
Ava Hahn had 15 digs to lead the defense.
Up Next
Gustavus will travel to Mount Vernon, Iowa next Friday, September 18 for a pair of matches at the Cornell Triangular. The Gusties will battle the Cornell College Rams at 2:30 p.m. and then take on the No. 17 nationally ranked Hope College Flying Dutch at 5:00 p.m.
