Staff Writer- Alayna Boe
The Gustavus Women’s Volleyball team had its home opener on Sept. 26th. The 14-2 team faced off against the College of Saint Benedict Friday night and took home a 3-1 victory over the Bennies. Along with being the Gusties’ home opener, this was also their MIAC opener, so their conference record started off strong at 1-0. The first set was hard fought, but the Bennies took the win. The Gusties did not let up and took home the next three sets with the Bennies unable to keep up. Senior Leah Berg took control of the net along with Senior Olivia Stockham in the second set, having crucial kills and blocks for an eventual 25-12 win. The third set was won 25-14 due to tactical offensive play, making Saint Benedict have multiple errors. The fourth and final set ended with a 25-14 win for the Gusties. Getting down 1-0 from the first set did not faze the women’s game, but instead furthered the grit in them. Not letting the Bennies win again was a good part of Gutavus’s game and let their confidence build while also dominating the court.
Last season, the Gusties faced off against the Bennies in the 2024 MIAC semifinals. Gustavus fell to the College of Saint Benedict 0-3 in the semifinals last year. This recent game was a rematch of sorts and proved to the Gusties what they can do to a team that upset them last season. In some way, the Gusties going unmatched for three straight sets is showing they can easily overtake the Bennies like they overtook Gustavus in the 2024 MIAC semifinals. Last year, Gustavus led the MIAC with an 11-0 record, so this semifinal upset was huge. The Gusties currently have a 2-0 MIAC record for the 2025 season and are only going up from there.
The energy was high for this fight against Saint Benedict because of last season, it being the home opener, and it being the MIAC opener for Gustavus Adolphus. Senior Sydney Timm led the kills in this game, totaling 13. Berg was closely behind her with 12 kills. Gustavus led the game in kills with 53 to Saint Benedict’s 31. The Gusties had 22 more kills than the Bennies and the score reflects that. Saint Benedict led the game in errors with 19. The hitting percentage between these two teams saw a large gap. Gustavus led with a .246 percentage to Saint Benedict’s .085. Hitting percentage plays a large and key role in a volleyball game, so to have an almost three times better percentage is phenomenal. The Gusties were relentless during this game and led in every statistic besides errors. Their assists were 45, exceeding the Bennies’ by 17. The statistics matched this game’s outcome since the Gusties won 3-1 in the end.
As a senior, this home opener was bittersweet for Berg, but she said the fans were great, which makes the bitterness of the moment fade a little. Berg was named MIAC’s Offensive Player of the Week this past week—a first-time honor for her. Last season, Berg received the MIAC All-Conference at the end of the season. Her team played an instrumental part in her being named, and she could not have received this without that support behind her.
“It is a lot of fun, we have a lot of competitive girls and are all constantly pushing each other,” Berg said.
A great sign in any great team is a healthy, but competitive, team atmosphere. Players need to be pushed by their own peers, so they can become the best versions of themselves, along with working hard for what they want. Berg has had 153 kills this season alone, and she is not done yet. As an outside hitter, Berg is responsible for being the lead attacker for offensive plays. She must always be ready for movement as the ball does not always go to an easy spot on the court.
The Gustavus Adolphus volleyball team is looking forward to a great season up ahead and has started very strongly with a 14-2 team record. MIAC conference play will continue to be their ticket to the championships, and they are in a good position now, leading the conference with a 2-0 start. The only other team with that conference record is St. Olaf, and these two teams will be facing off on Oct. 10th in Northfield. The Gusties will be on the road at the Pointer Invitational on Oct. 3rd and 4th, where they will face three teams. This invite will be taking place in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The Gusties look to make their record even more impressive, so this weekend will be a great test of their strength and endurance.
Go Gusties!