Teddy Kaste-
The Women’s Volleyball team is on a roll. This past Friday, they competed in front of a large Homecoming crowd in their MIAC opener against Saint Mary’s; sweeping them with a 3-0 win. Sophomore Leah Berg led the team with 11 kills, Senior Marlee Turn with 10, who was then followed by Senior Sydney Olson with 9. Senior Kasie Tweet led the team in assists with a whopping 30, while her sister, Sophomore Mayassa Tweet, led the defense with 12 digs.
Berg was the kills leader against Saint Mary’s, and she’s been having an amazing breakout season here in her sophomore year. “During the off-season, I do whatever I can to help myself prepare for the season. I make sure to be consistent with the training program that our team follows which includes getting lots of quality reps and lifting in. I go to summer open gyms and practice with my high school team as well,” Berg said about her improvement. It’s the hard work she puts in behind the scenes that leads to her success on the court.
The Gusties also competed in the Carleton triangular, in which they faced Carleton and Grinnell Colleges, defeating both teams 3-0. In the Carleton game, Turn had yet another stellar performance, leading the team with 15 kills. Berg and Senior Lauren Klaith also had great games with 9 kills each. On the back end, The eldest Tweet had yet another outstanding game with an amazing tally of 39 assists along with 10 digs, posting a “double-double”.
Grinnell stood no chance against the red-hot Gusties as Gustavus dispatched Grinnell in yet another 3-0. The kills leader in this game was Klaith, posting 14 kills and a 0.387 attacking percentage. The eldest Tweet posted yet another double-double pairing her 32 assists with 10 digs for her second double-double of the day. Sophomore Maren Sundberg led the back line with 12 digs as well.
In three matches this past week, the team did not drop a single game. The Homecoming match against Saint Mary’s was very highly anticipated. As students flooded out of their Friday classes the campus was livened by Homecoming festivities, one of which being the volleyball match. The students packed the stands as they often do to support the Women’s Volleyball team. Turn commented on what home-court advantage means to the Gusties, “A big crowd does really help our team! Feeding off that energy helps us create energy on the court and play at our best!”
Gustavus won against Saint Mary’s, but it wasn’t a completely one-sided contest. Saint Mary’s started the first game out strong leading the Gusties 20-16, only five points away from taking set one, but being the great team they are, the Gustavus battled back and won five points in a row getting the score to 21-20. Saint Mary’s finally stopped the bleeding, tying the score at 21 apiece, but Gustavus answered that with four consecutive points to win the first game.
Gustavus took Set 2 in a 25-18 semi-competitive game, with the Gusties being in control for most of the game. Where they really showed the level difference between the two teams was in Set 3 where the Gusties won an astounding 11 points in a row to crush Saint Mary’s 25-12 and won the match.
Carleton came out of the gates hot-putting the Gusties down 17-12 in Set 1, but yet again Gustavus rallied winning five points in a row later that game and eventually outlasting Carleton 25-22. Set 2 was a dominant performance from the Gusties grabbing an early lead, and never looking back, they took the game 25-13. Set 3 was then a total domination with a 25-11 win and another clean sweep.
Gustavus played another match that same day against Grinnell College, winning again. Set 1 was taken by Gustavus 25-20, this time by grabbing a large early lead, and coasting to victory. Set 2 was more of the same with Gustavus controlling the action throughout for a 25-19 victory. Set 3 was more of the same, with an even larger margin of victory 25-14, a clean sweep to win the match.
Gustavus participated in three matches this past weekend, which is a lot of volleyball in a very short period of time. It cannot be understated how impressive it is to sweep every match, never giving the other teams a single game. This is a testament to how highly nationally competitive the Women’s Volleyball team is, as they are doing more than just winning matches, they are dominating their matches.
We’ve seen great Gustavus volleyball teams in the past, but Senior leader on the team Liz Horton spoke about what’s different about the group this year, “This year, there’s something about the bond on our team. In the 4 years I’ve been a part of this program, the team has always been super close, but this year we are even more family-like than the past years. The level of comfort between us is super special and I truly believe that it contributes to our successes both on and off the court.” It’s that type of chemistry that has been on display all year when the team has taken the court, making their games an exciting experience.
The team travels to Wisconsin to take on UW-River Falls on Oct. 3rd, and to Duluth on Oct. 6th to play Saint Scholastica. The Women’s Volleyball team has been performing at a very high level, and only time will tell how far they can go.