MOORHEAD, Minn. — The No. 16 Gusties traveled to Concordia-Moorhead for their first of three-straight away matches, battling the Cobbers to a 3-1 road victory, moving to 20-4 overall and 8-0 in the conference.
Set one started in favor of the home team, as the combination of two service aces and Concordia’s Maria Watt totaling five kills and hitting .714 got the Cobbers off to a quick start. The Cobbers jumped out to the early 13-8 lead, leaving Gustavus to chase them down. The Gusties caught their first lead of the set when it counted most, at 25-24. Both teams battled for the advantage of two, playing out to an eventual 29-27 Gustie victory.
Set two was more of the same hard-fought battle between the two teams, this time with the Cobbers ending victorious. The Gusties raced off to the first lead of set two, 7-4. The Cobbers, playing catch-up, finally matched the Gusties at 10-10 and took their first lead at 12-11. Using this momentum, Concordia pushed their lead to 17-13 and 20-17, before the Gusties evened the score at 21-21 and took back their lead at 23-21. The Cobbers combined for four unanswered points and ended the set on an ace, claiming the 25-23 victory.
Set three started as a runaway for the Gusties, reaching a nine-point lead at 11-2. The Cobbers attempted to close the gap but weren’t able to best the dominant Gustie offense. The Gusties would equal and surpass their nine-point lead at 21-12 and 22-12 before taking set three by a score of 25-13. Set four was nearly identical, as the Gusties jumped out to an early lead before scoring the last nine points of the match to defeat the Cobbers, 25-13.
Three Gusties posted more than 10 kills, with Marlee Turn (Jr., Kennedy) and Lauren Klaith (Jr., Rockford) posting 17 and 16 each, while Sarah Elliott (Sr., Lombard, Ill.) totaled 12 of her own. Kasie Tweet (Jr., Adrian) added more than 40 assists for the eighth time this season, with a total of 49, tying her season- and career-best. Turn led the team in digs as well, with a total of 18 for her 14th double-double, while Payton Auseth (So., Chaska) and Maren Sundberg (Fy., Eagan) both picked up 16 each.
The Gusties take their talents to St. Joseph, Minn. tomorrow to face Saint Benedict in a battle of the top-two conference teams.