WAVERLY, Iowa – The Gustavus volleyball team traveled to Waverly on Friday for a pair of non-conference matches and took a 3-1 loss against No. 10 Wartburg and a win 3-0 over Coe. With the split, the Gusties move to 13-3 overall and remain 1-0 in the conference.
The undefeated and nationally ranked Knights had the upper hand in set one, climbing to a 16-9 lead and securing the 25-18 finish.
Gustavus retaliated in the second set, holding a four point edge before Wartburg caught up and tied it at 13-13. The Gusties remained strong on the attack with a pair of four point runs to tie up the match 1-1 after a 25-21 second set.
Both teams went point for point in the third frame until set point when Wartburg took advantage of two Gustavus errors to win the second set.
The Knights put up a four point lead early into the fourth set that held solid and despite defensive efforts, the Gusties were dealt their third loss of the season.
Kate Holtan (Sr., Rochester) had a team high 20 kills, while Hailey Embacher (Sr., Mankato) notched 26 digs.
Looking to bounce back in the second match, the Gusties ran up a 12-7 lead against before the Kohawks could respond. After three lead swaps, Gustavus won the first set 25-17.
Continuing the momentum, the Gusties won set two by ten points while Sydney Olson (Jr., Willmar) tallied four kills in the process.
Looking to shut things down in straight sets, Gustavus accelerated on a 21-9 lead before coming away with the 3-0 win over Coe.
The Gusties are back in action on Saturday night when they take on Hamline for their second conference match of the season starting at 7:00.