Teddy Kaste & Julia Klein-
Gustavus Women’s Volleyball team played their second-to-last regular season game on Oct. 28th, winning 57-43 against Bethel. This win has once again earned them the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) title. This is the third year in a row that they have won it, and Saturday’s match was also their 34th consecutive win against conference opponents. Gustavus Women’s Volleyball also secured the No. 1 seed for the postseason tournament with the win.
Excitement was high both before and during the game, especially for the team’s seniors. They showed up ready to compete and work hard to win, which is reflected in the scores of the game. While Gustavus trailed in the first part of the first and third sets, both times they quickly moved to the lead and did not gave it up.
They ended the first set 25-19 in a back-and-forth battle where the Gustavus women came out on top, pulling away from the Royals towards the end of the game. The second set resulted in a score of 25-18 in a more dominating performance from the Gustavus ladies, leading the entire game, and never looking back after grabbing the early lead. The last game finished up at 25-22 in a far closer game, with Gustavus closing an early 13-10 deficit to come back and win the 3rd game, closing out the Royals 3-0
Senior Lauren Klaith ended the night with 15 kills, with Senior Sydney Olson, Senior Marlee Turn, and Sophomore Sydney Timm tying for second with nine kills each. Senior Kasie Tweet had the most assists by far, with a total of 39.
“Our passers and hitters work really hard to put up good balls and to score points for us which makes it a lot easier for me to get assists,” Tweet commented on her assists. A humble player, crediting her fellow teammates instead of basking in the glory of 39 assists. That’s just another example of why the Gustavus women have a winning culture; they pick each other up.
Turn led with the most digs, coming in at 15. Sophomore Mayssa Tweet and Sophomore Maren Sundberg came behind her with 12 digs each.
Overall, the team is happy with their win and excited for their postseason games. “My favorite part of the night was just playing with and cheering on all my teammates and really just soaking in the night with all the seniors,” the elder Tweet said.
As time ticks down on this season every game begins to hold more gravity for the seniors on the team. They have given many years to the program, and built bonds and memories that will last a lifetime. Senior Liz Horton commented on the team,
“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.”
This highlights one of the more beautiful aspects of collegiate athletics, the bonds you build with your fellow teammates through their respective sports. Horton went on to comment further on the friendship held between the teammates.
“The most enjoyable part about being on the volleyball team is definitely having a bunch of built-in best friends playing the sport we love and spending time with one another. If we’re talking more specifically I would say our pre-game locker room dance parties. We always get pumped up before games in the locker room whether we’re home or away, which are always really fun and create a ton of lasting memories.”
The Gusties danced their way to yet another conference championship this year, and are hoping to dance all the way through the NCAA tournament this year. The Gustavus women made an NCAA tournament appearance last year, and are hoping to win it all this year.
Their next game is the last one of the regular season, and will be at St. Catherine at 7:00 PM Friday, November 3rd.