MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – The St. Olaf College volleyball team battled No. 14-ranked Washington University in St. Louis over the final two sets in a 25-15, 27-25, 25-23 loss in the opening round of the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship on Thursday at Small Athletic and Wellness Center.

After a one-sided opening set, St. Olaf (21-10) had three set points in the second set and fought back late in the third, but was unable to get over the top in either set against WashU (24-9). The loss was just the third in the last 15 matches for the Oles, who were appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in program history (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2019, 2023) and the first time since 2019.

Senior Catherine Moore tallied a match-high 15 kills and hit .429 for St. Olaf, which got nine kills from senior Anysia Caille, eight from first year Maren Miller, and seven from first year Lilah Van Scoyoc. Moore's 15-kill performance marked the 10th-straight match – and the 16th in the last 17 – she has reached double figures.

Sophomore Paige Christophersen recorded 24 assists, while first year Skylar Fildew posted a double-double of 13 assists and 13 digs. In her final collegiate match, fifth-year senior Selena Rodriguez had a match-high 17 digs to finish her standout career with 1,818, which ranks fourth in program history. Sophomore Morgan Ryan added 14 digs for the Oles, who lost senior Erica Collin due to injury before the midway point of the opening set.

In the opening set, St. Olaf fell in an early 7-2 hole and could not recover after hitting -.114 in the set. Moore registered kills on the Oles' first three points of the set and had four kills on six swings in the set, but the Oles could not get any closer than four after the early five-point deficit.

The second set was a different story, as eight St. Olaf delivered 20 kills in the set, with eight Oles having at least one kill to help St. Olaf hit .298. WashU committed just three attack errors in the set, however, to hit .318 and grab the set with a late rally.
Midway through the set, St. Olaf won five points in a row to go up 15-11 and brought up two set points at 24-22. The Bears saved both set points with kills and, after a kill by sophomore Dori Hobbie gave the Oles a third set point, WashU won the final three points to take the set 27-25.

Van Scoyoc, Miller, and Moore tallied consecutive kills early in a 4-1 start to the third set for St. Olaf, but WashU recovered to go ahead 12-8 with an 11-4 run. The Oles pulled even at 16-16 on a kill by Moore followed by an ace by Fildew, but the Bears won the next three points to go back on top. Trailing 23-19, St. Olaf won three points in a row, including a kill and a block by Miller, to get within one but could not get even again, as WashU closed out the win on a kill by Lily Steinbach.

St. Olaf's 21-win season marked its highest win total since 2019 and was its fourth 20-win season under head coach Emily Foster.