Staff Writer- Katelyn Hoppe
Last Saturday, the Gustavus volleyball team traveled to Saint Paul to face Hamline. With a final score of 3-0, the Gusties defeated the Pipers in a sweep (25-14, 25-23, 25-14). This victory allowed the team to advance to the MIAC quarterfinals, securing the No. 3 seed. On Tuesday, the Gusties continued dominating their competition by sweeping No. 6 Carleton.
“My mindset going into the game on Saturday against Hamline was to finish out our MIAC schedule with a strong win. I wanted to show Hamline what Gustie volleyball means to us. I had confidence going into the game and knew if we played how we practiced we could get the job done,” First-year Right Side Lauren Wiese said.
The Gusties began their faceoff at Hamline in a narrow lead of 5-2, before quickly advancing to 10-6. First-year Middle-Hitter Lainie Barrick delivered an impressive three consecutive service aces, making it 19-11. Kills from Junior Outside-Hitter Logan Brent, Sophomore Middle-Hitter Greta Tompkins, and First-year Outside-Hitter Meaghan Kreiser totaled the score to 24-13. The Pipers scored another point before an attack error on their end would cost them the opening set. Gusties won 25-14 with 13 kills and hitting .333 throughout the set.
Hamline responded early on in the second set with a score of 4-0, then extending their lead to 11-7. The Gusties, however, weren’t going down without a fight. Three kills from Brent, and two from Tompkins moved the Gusties to a 13-11 advantage. The Pipers regained the lead at 20-18 before extending it further to 22-19. Gustavus managed to catch up with kills made by Tompkins, Wiese, and First-year Right Side Lauren Barker. Another point for Hamline tied the set 23-23. A kill by Kreiser and ball-handling error by Hamline ended the nail-biting set, securing Gustavus’ second victory of the game.
Going into the third set, kills by Barrick and Brent and service ace by Junior Setter Macie Malchow pushed the Gusties to a 5-2 lead. They furthered their advantage with a score of 9-4 before kills by Kreiser and Tompkins boosted their lead to 14-6. Gustavus was far in the lead with a score of 18-10 before Malchow delivered an astounding four service aces within just 5 points to make the set 23-10. After a service error on the Pipers’ end and a block by Barrick, the third set totaled 25-14, completing a 3-0 sweep by Gustavus.
“This season I am most proud of the way we have adapted to change. We have grown and developed as a team and are truly at our peak when it matters most. As teammates we have learned what each one of us needs from each other and we offer a strong support system. This team has definitely felt like family,” Wiese remarked.
Brent led the team’s offense with 19 kills, averaging 6.33 per set on a .452 hitting percentage, also adding 11 digs and service ace. Brent’s performance this week secured her as the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week.
“Being that it was our last regular season game I really just wanted to go out there and set a tone for myself heading into playoffs this week and really just go for it in every aspect of the game,” Brent commented.
In addition to the Hamline game, Brent guided the Gusties to a 3-0 week, also defeating Concordia and nationally ranked Northwestern.
Notably, Tompkins and Kreiser contributed eight and five kills, respectively. Malchow delivered with five service aces, and seven assists. Barrick had three aces and three blocks while Sophomore Setter Sahara Morken helped with 19 assists and Sophomore Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist Ava Hahn anchored the defense with 17 digs. In total, Gustavus recorded an incredible 40 kills, on .270 hitting and 11 service aces with just 3 errors.
“Some moments from the game that stuck out to me were we had a lot of hustle plays and nothing hit the ground easily. We went out swinging and it paid off for us,” Brent said.
On Tuesday when facing the Carleton Knights, the Gusties finished with 50 kills on .343 hitting, seven service aces and 52 digs, compared to Carleton’s 24 kills and .087 on hitting. Brent again led the team with 19 kills and 13 digs.
“We all love each other so much and want each other to succeed. It’s been a group effort from the very beginning and will still be as we head into playoffs,” Brent stated.
After winning 3-0 against the Knights (25-15, 25-15, and 25-17), the Gusties have an overall season standing of 19-11, and 8-3 in the MIAC. As of writing this, their next match is scheduled for Thursday, November 12th against No. 2 St. Olaf in Northfield. Gustavus lost to St. Olaf earlier this season, but coming off of 4 consecutive wins, Gustavus has proven that it will be a more competitive battle at the net. A win against the Oles would push them into the MIAC championship game.