Parker Burman-
This past weekend the Golden Gustie Volleyball team played two matches at the Loras Invite against Coe College and Loras College. Starting their weekend off with a win, the Gusties swept Coe College 3-0 in their first match. While unable to secure back-to-back sweeps the Gusties did still manage to win 3-1 over Loras.
“I think our team played well against Coe and Loras. We went into these games with a lot of excitement and motivation to get these two wins. I think we did a good job of controlling the game, which helped us come out on top. We are a very well-rounded team which has helped us not only in these two games but throughout the season so far,” Senior Kasie Tweet said.
In the first game of the weekend, the Gusties were looking to bounce back in a big way after a 3-0 loss to No. 17 Cornell the night before. Gustavus swept the Kohawks in three sets, winning 25-19, 25-16, and 25-17.
“A focus for our team has always been about having a short-term memory, meaning that we don’t worry about things that didn’t go our way in the past because we can’t change them. So instead, we just try to focus on the things that are right in front of us and try to play in the moment. So by doing this, we were able to come back at full force the following day and respond to the loss with two strong wins,” Senior Madi Kes said.
The Gusties and Kohawks fought back-and-forth in the first set until the Gusties finally managed to pull away, thanks to a pair of kills from Fifth-year Sydney Olson. In addition to the pair of kills, Olson sparked a seven-point rally to end the first set 25-19.
In set two, Gustavus found their way to an early lead and never gave it back. Gustavus built their lead up to as many as nine points, winning the set 25-16. The third and final set was much of the same, as Gustauvs won 25-17, getting four service aces to help drive the offense to victory.
“We run a very balanced offense, which gives the hitters a lot of one-on-one opportunities. Our passers and setter worked super hard to make our jobs as hitters easier,” Senior Lauren Klaith said.
Klaith led the Gustavus offense in match one totaling 13 kills, while Kes and Senior Marlee Turn both contributed nine and eight kills, respectively. Tweet continued to grow her team lead in assists, as she added 33 more in the contest, including ten digs for the double-double. Gustavus also managed to pick up eight service aces against Coe, including three from Olson.
In game two, the Gusties hoped to build off their momentum from game one to secure the weekend sweep. Gustavus held the lead against Loras for most of the first set, but Loras did not go without a fight closing the Gustie lead before eventually defeating Gustavus in set one 25-23.
Not fazed by dropping the first set, the Gusties fought their way to the set-two win by a score of 25-19. Set-three was won by the Gusties with an identical score to that of set-two, winning 25-19, before putting away Loras in set four with a victory of 25-17.
Klaith matched her kills against Coe with an additional 13 against Loras. Sophomore Mayssa Tweet led the Gustavus defense against Loras with 19 digs, a career-high, while her sister Kasie picked up 12 digs of her own on top of 36 assists in the match. The elder Tweet and Olson split the team lead with four service aces each.
“It is a very cool and unique experience to get to play college volleyball with my sister Mayssa. I am super thankful to be able to play with her. We are always pushing and supporting each other to be better which is so fun. I’ve loved watching her grow and improve this season and am really proud of her,” Kasie Tweet said.
“My older sister Kasie is someone I have looked up to my entire life, both off and on the court. Being able to play high school volleyball, club volleyball, and now college volleyball is something not many people get to experience in their athletic careers. She pushes me on the court to go the extra step to get better every day. I know I can always look to her for advice or the extra confidence boost when it’s needed,” Mayssa Tweet said.
Gustavus Volleyball is back in action Friday night at 7 p.m. at home against conference rival St. Mary’s to kick-off conference play. On Saturday they will head to Northfield to participate in the Carleton Triangular against both Carleton and Grinnell College.
“We definitely have a very strong team this year with a lot of big-picture goals, so our hope is to keep improving in every game and practice so that we can make it a long way in the postseason. We will continue to take it game by game and keep working toward another MIAC championship and success in the NCAA tournament,” Kes said.