ST. PETER, Minn. - The Hamline volleyball team (3-3) traveled to St. Peter on Tuesday night falling in four sets to Gustavus (2-1). This was the second year in a row that the Pipers have taken a set off the Gusties, after being swept in the previous three matchups.
 
Gustavus brought a strong offensive unit into Tuesday's contest, as three of their players reached double-digits in kills while holding a 57-32 advantage in kills on the day. The Pipers, however, had fewer errors in the game, with 14 to GAC's 27.
 
The Gusties also served tough, boasting 12 aces (to HU's six) in the win. Hamline proved stronger on the block, though, holding a 13-5 edge in that category.
 
Sydney Larson and Rachel Rettmann paced the Piper offense, combining for 15 of the team's 32 kills. Larson had eight throughout the game while also picking up 15 digs. Rettmann had seven kills while tallying eight total blocks, two of which were solo.  Julianna Boyum and Brynn Hendrickson also helped out the offense with five kills each.
 
Defensively, libero Maggie Gavic had a season-high 25 digs, while Megan Rubbelke had 12 and Erin Tadych had 11. Rubbelke also had 23 assists in the match, and now has 2,303 total assists in her career, which ranks third on Hamline's all-time list.
 
In the first set, the Pipers fell into an early hole, trailing 7-2, but they would get the game within two at 11-9 before seeing the Gusties pull away for a 25-16 win.
 
During the second set, it was HU that would take an early lead, up 7-3. The set would later be tied at 15 points apiece, but then Gustavus used a 10-2 scoring run to finish off the set 25-17.
 
In the third, Hamline again started the set strong, this time taking a 7-0 lead which would eventually turn into a 14-7 lead. Later in the set, the Gusties cut HU's lead to just two at 19-17, but Hamline scored the final six points to take the set 25-17 and make it 2-1.
 
In the fourth set, the Pipers found themselves down 18-12, but didn't give up, getting to 21 points before Gustavus took the final point of the set and match.
 
The Pipers return home for their next two matches, hosting Augsburg on Friday, April 23 and St. Catherine on Wednesday, April 28 before closing out the season at Bethel on Wednesday, May 5.