NORTHFIELD, Minn. – In its first match in 505 days, the St. Olaf College volleyball team swept Hamline by scores of 25-14, 25-15, 25-17 on Friday evening at Skoglund Center.

After the fall season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Olaf (1-0) was playing its first match since the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship on Nov. 14. The Oles hit over .400 in each of the first two sets and tallied 11 aces on its way to the three-set win over Hamline (1-1).

Sophomore Nicole Banitt and senior Summer Reid paced St. Olaf with eight kills apiece, with Banitt doing so on eight errorless swings to hit .444 and Reid adding a team-high 13 digs. Senior Morgan Marxer added seven kills for the Oles, while senior Lexi Wall had 30 assists to go with seven digs.

St. Olaf trailed 7-5 early in set one before winning five points in a row, four on the serve of first year Kylie Reardon, to take the lead. Leading 16-12, the Oles pulled away late in the set with a 5-0 run and Reardon sealed the 25-14 set win with her second ace of the set.

After hitting .400 in the opening set, St. Olaf hit .417 in the second on its way to taking the second set, 25-15. Wall and sophomore Selena Rodriguez had aces as part of an 8-2 start to the set for the Oles, who led by at least five the rest of the set.

The Pipers hung around early in the third set until the Oles won seven points in a row to take a 16-7 lead. Junior Katelyn Lannom had three aces in the 7-0 run that led to a Hamline timeout. Out of the stoppage, the Pipers won three points in a row to get within six but could get no closer than five the rest of the way.

Sydney Larson tallied a match-high nine kills for Hamline, which just hit .069 in the match. St. Olaf finished the match hitting at a .287 clip and enjoyed a 41-29 advantage in digs.

St. Olaf travels to the College of Saint Benedict on Wednesday, April 7 at 7 p.m.