WAVERLY, Iowa – The Gustavus volleyball team competed in their first two road contests at Wartburg in the Sugar Loaf tournament and fell to Wartburg 3-2 before sweeping Milwaukee School of Engineering 3-0. With the split, the Gusties move to 2-1 overall on the season.
In the first set the Gusties were determined to set the tone, dominating to a 17-8 lead. The Knights cut the deficit even things at 13 but Kylee Cox (Sr., Brooklyn Center) remained strong on the serve to secure the 25-17 win.
The Knights retaliated in set two, going point for point against the Gusties for the first four. Wartburg took the lead until Gustavus was able to even things up at 11 where it remained a point for point game until match point. Despite hard hitting attacks from both sides, Wartburg came out on top of the second frame 25-22.
Both teams looked to take over in the third set. The Knights climbed their way to a 12-6 lead before the Gusties found their stride tying it at 14 and taking over the set with a five point run and leading 21-17. Wartburg retaliated with a six point run before going battling in a 29-27 upset to take the third set.
The Gusties struck down in the fourth to stay on top of a 15-9 lead. The Knights put the pressure on but Gustavus kept a locked down defense before a final kill from Sarah Elliott to deliver on the 25-22 win and force a fifth set.
Gustavus came out strong in the fifth with a 7-3 lead and Wartburg tied things up before taking over the lead at the tenth point and going on a four point run. Despite the Gustie efforts, the Knights shut the door on a 15-12 win.
Kate Holtan (Sr., Rochester) led the Gusties in the match with 19 kills, while Sarah Elliott (Jr., Lombard, Ill.) had 14. Kasie Tweet (So., Adrian) notched 45 assists. Hailey Embacher (Sr., Mankato) led the back line with 28 while Kylee Cox (Sr., Brooklyn Center) had 17. Holtan added 14 for a double-double.
Gustavus came into their second match after finding their groove with an early 9-4 lead. The Raiders responded with defensive efforts but the Gusties had the edge with a six point run to silence MSOE to a 25-14 finish for the first set.
The Gusties kept the momentum going in the middle from with a 10-4 lead out of the gate. Kills from Annalee Olson-Sola (Sr., Northfield), Courtney Peterson (Jamestown, N.D.), and Marlee Turn (So., Kennedy) brought the set to 15-7. MSOE added a five point run before Gustavus came out on top of a 25-18 final.
In set three, the Raiders took charge of a 10-5 lead before the Gustavus tied it up at 15. A kill from Turn tilted the game in the Gusties favor as they scored seven of the next eight points before finishing the sweep 25-18.
Turn led the second match with 10 kills while Holtan had five. Tweet recorded 16 assists and Embacher closed the match with 11 digs.