ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The Gustavus volleyball team split two matches at the Bethel Triangular on Saturday afternoon. The Gusties lost to Augsburg 25-18, 25-14, 25-18 but bounced back with a 25-21, 28-26, 15-25, 25-22 win over Bethel, moving to 4-2 overall.
“It was great to see the girls response after dropping the first match,” Assistant Coach Alyssa Taylor said. “We talked between matches about finding three things that they would focus on in the second match, since the first match we didn’t really play our game. The team did a great job executing those couple things and it was the difference between the matches and us playing how we are capable of. Overall a pretty good day against some tough competition and I am happy to come home with a win.”
Gustavus 0, Augsburg 3 | BOX SCORE
Augsburg got off to a hot start in the first with a 5-0 lead and the Gusties were never able to fully recover. Gustavus went on 5-2 run to cut the deficit to two and later went on a 6-2 run, making it a 15-14 Auggie lead, but Augsburg was able to stay on top and close out the first.
Gustavus jumped out to an early 4-2 lead in the second but the Auggies responded with 11 straight points and 15 of the next 17 rallies for a convincing 25-14 win.
Augsburg rolled its momentum into the third with an early 6-1 advantage and never trailed in a 25-18 match-clinching win.
The Gusties hit .045 on the attack led by six kills from both Sarah Elliott (So., Lombard, Ill.) and Courtney Peterson (So., Jamestown, S.D.). Kasie Tweet (Fy., Adrian) had 17 assists and 10 digs, while Hailey Embacher (Sr., Mankato) had 17 digs.
Gustavus 3, Bethel 1 | BOX SCORE
Gustavus proved to have a short memory after started off the first set of the second match on the right foot. After a back-and-forth start, the Gusties went on a 10-1 run for an 18-10 lead and forced a Bethel timeout. After the break, the Royals answered with a 11-3 spree to tie the game 21-21 and force a Gustie timeout. But the visitors clamped down at the end and were able to secure a 25-21 decision.
In the second set, the Royals started to gain some separation at 15-11, which coaxed a Gustie timeout. The Gusties came out of the break with a 10-2 run for a 21-17 advantage. From that point, there were five ties and two lead changes but it was the Gusties coming out on top 28-26.
The Royals gained a 7-1 advantage to start the third set and led throughout in a 25-15 decision. The Gusties answered in the fourth with a 6-1 start and never trailed to secure the match.
Lauren Klaith (Fy., Rockford) led the offense with 17 kills and a .318 attack percentage. She also provided 12 digs for a double-double. Elliott added 12 kills and a .263 percentage. Both Tweet and Nora Lehmkuhl (So., Northfield) had 19 assists. Tweet posted 16 digs as well. Embacher led the team with 22 digs.
“I think Lauren stepped up for us big time against Bethel with her swings and defense,” Tayor said. “Sarah came alive on the right side and Hailey did a nice job digging and then taking out of system balls and putting our attackers in good positions to score.”
The Gusties conclude their truncated spring season Monday at St. Olaf.