ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – In its first five-set match of the season, the St. Olaf College volleyball team outlasted UW-Stout (22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 15-13) to begin the Bethel Invitational on Friday evening at Robertson Center Gym.

In the fifth set, St. Olaf (9-1) used a decisive 4-0 run to turn a 10-9 deficit into a 13-10 lead on its way to handing UW-Stout (8-1) its first loss of the season. Junior Summer Reid, senior Lauren Rewers and sophomore Katelyn Lannom all reached double figures in kills, as the Oles won their sixth-straight match.

Reid and Rewers had 13 kills apiece to pace St. Olaf, while Lannom added 11. First year Nicole Banitt tallied eight kills, including one on the final point of the match, and a team-high five block assists. Junior Morgan Marxer contributed eight kills without on error.

Junior Lexi Wall fell just one dig shy of her seventh double-double of the season, finishing with 48 assists, nine digs, three kills and three block assists. Senior Emily Jarnigan posted a team-high 18 digs, while Rewers added 13 digs to her 13 kills for her fifth double-double of the fall.

UW-Stout opened up a 21-16 lead late in the opening set but, out of a timeout, St. Olaf won five of the next six points to get within a point. After a service error halted the Oles' run, a kill by Reid made it a one-point differential again, but the Blue Devils grabbed the opener on consecutive kills by Amber Ripley.

St. Olaf blew open the second set with a 6-0 run that gave the Oles a 21-11 advantage, but UW-Stout fought its way back into the set with a late 7-0 run to get within two, 23-21. Wall halted the run with a kill of her own before setting up one by Reid to even the match at a set apiece.

In the third, the Blue Devils battled back from a 17-10 deficit to prompt a St. Olaf timeout with the Oles' lead reduced to 19-16. A kill by senior Abigail Wiedel put an end to a 4-0 UW-Stout run and started a run of five-straight points for St. Olaf, which took the set, 25-20, to edge ahead two sets to one.

Neither team held a lead of more than four points in a tightly-contested fourth set, but UW-Stout never trailed after taking an 11-9 lead on its way to sending the match the distance. The Blue Devils hit .286 with 17 kills in the fourth.

After losing the opening point of the decider, St. Olaf won four consecutive points to grab an early lead, with Banitt teaming with Marxer and Rewers on back-to-back blocks to end the run. UW-Stout gradually built a 10-9 lead before kills from Reid bookended a 4-0 run that put the Oles up, 13-10. The Blue Devils climbed to within one, 13-12, but St. Olaf regrouped out of a timeout to finish off the five-set win.

Lexie Nelson had a triple-double of 17 kills, 19 assists and 15 digs in the loss for UW-Stout.

The Oles face St. Norbert (10 a.m.) and UW-Stevens Point (2 p.m.) on the final day of the tournament on Saturday, Sept. 14.