ST. PETER, MINN. – The St. Catherine University volleyball faced quite the challenge Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats were tasked with upsetting the No. 11 Gustavus Adolphus College Gusties in a big time Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) match. Unfortunately, Gustavus' firepower was too much for St. Kate's, as the team was swept 3-0 (17-25, 11-25, 10-25).

The Wildcats battled against the nationally ranked Gusties, matching them toe-to-toe through the first nine points of the match. In fact, the Wildcats only trailed 5-4 after a kill from Mackenzie Peper (Osceola, Wis. / Osceola) and looked to make a run with Emily Neumann (Duluth, Minn. / Hermantown) at the serving line. Unfortunately, errors on serve receive and a strong attack from Gustavus allowed the Gusties to take a 9-4 lead after Peper's kill.

St. Kate's tried to climb back into the set, but Gustavus' firepower on offense was too much to overcome. The Gusties hit .320 throughout the course of three sets, while the Wildcats hit just .038. St. Kate's was also unable to get its serving game going during the match. The usually dominant Wildcats tallied just five aces and committed five service errors, compared to Gustavus' 10 aces.

Still, St. Kate's tried to bounce back with a second set victory, but the Gusties proved why they are the No. 11 team in the nation. Gustavus never allowed the Wildcats to get into a rhythm in the second set, constantly forcing St. Kate's out of system, especially on serve receive. However, Emma Nelson (Byron, Minn. / Byron) did provide a spark off the bench, as she went on a three-point serving run late in the set. The damage was already done, though, as the Gusties took set two 25-11. The home team was just as dominant in the third set, winning 25-10 and taking the match 3-0.

Peper (Osceola, Wis. / Osceola) led the team in kills with seven total on 25 attempts, while Payton Baker (Forest Lake, Minn. / Forest Lake) added five. Bailey Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo) was the team's leading defensive player with 12 total digs.

With the loss, St. Kate's overall record falls to 6-10, and the team is 0-4 in MIAC play. The Wildcats will return to the court on Wednesday when they host UW-Superior in a Dig Pink Game at 7 p.m. in the Butler Center Gym.