Staff Writer- Alayna Boe
Ranked 23rd in the nation, the Gustavus Adolphus College (GAC) volleyball team has had a strikingly strong 2025 season so far. The Gusties just took home their twentieth win on the road in Moorhead, Minnesota. This win was a 3-0 sweep against the Concordia College Cobbers. In this conference match-up, the Gusties took home the victory and moved to a 6-1 record in the MIAC. Even though this match was a sweep on the Gusties’ part, it was not easy. In the first set, Gustavus fell behind, but went on a 4-0 run to gain momentum back. The second set also had the Gusties trailing for some time, but they ultimately came back to win. In the third and final set, the Gusties led and took the victory.
The first set really set the tone for the rest of the match. Since Concordia was in front of their home crowd, Gustavus was already at a small disadvantage. However, this did not stop the Gusties from fighting away in the first set. The set was back and forth for a while until the Gusties were trailing by one. This trail was then offset after a 4-0 rally from the Gusties. This put them in a 21-18 lead, but the lead did not stay that way for long. Concordia came back, and the score was 23-22 until GAC made their final push to win the set 25-22.
Winning the first set made the energy high for the Gusties and pushed them into set two. The second set was also a close one, going back and forth as well. Eventually, the Cobbers took a 14-13 lead, but the Gusties answered that with a quick burst, making the score 17-14. Concordia came back and overtook the Gusties again before going back to the tug of war of the set. Eventually, Concordia set the game point, but Gustavus went on a run and won the second set 26-24.
The third, and final set had the farthest score of the three. While trailing by one, the Gusties set their minds to work and did just that. Scoring 6 points compared to the Cobbers’ 1, the Gustavus Golden Gusties clinched the final match 25-19. While this game was a sweep, it was a close and hard-fought battle for the team.
The Gusties were confident going into this game, but that did not mean the energy was low. Having a close set right away made the energy of the team build. The mental toughness of this team also grew during the game and poise was shown throughout.
The statistics of this game all leaned to Gustavus, except for blocks. Gustavus led in every other stat, including errors. While the Gusties had the most errors, that did not stop them from overcoming that challenge and sweeping the game. For points scored, GAC had 54 while Concordia had a trailing 40. Assists were also led by Gustavus with 42 compared to the Cobbers’ 25. Senior Leah Berg led the team in kills with 13 and was closely followed by Senior Sydney Timm and Sophomore Logan Brent. Overall, the stats resulted in the same outcome as the game.
First-year Setter Sahara Morken played an exceptional offensive game and had 37 assists, which is an average of 12.33 a set. As a first-year student, Morken is still getting used to college play, but she has fallen in very well. Morken focuses on the offensive aspect of the game, which can be hard against a defensive-minded team like Concordia. “Concordia was a very scrappy team and played good defense, but it was another good conference win for us!” Morken said.
The team energy has been high all season, and the atmosphere keeps getting better. “We have a lot of fun together and all get along well,” Morken said. A good team atmosphere leads to better chemistry on the court, so it is no wonder the Gusties are 20-5 on the season so far. Coming off of a week with no class, the Gusties have had ample time for what is to come and are ready for the next steps to a MIAC championship.
On Halloween night, the Gustavus Adolphus College Golden Gusties will have the home court advantage as they take on the St. Scholastica Saints at 7 p.m. This game will be another conference matchup, and the Gusties will seek to strengthen their conference position even further. Go Gusties!