NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College volleyball team closed out the regular season by claiming its third victory over a nationally-ranked team this season with a five-set victory over UW-Stevens Point on Saturday afternoon at Skoglund Center.

Thanks in part to a career-high 20-kill performance from fifth-year senior Christina Cheng, St. Olaf (19-8) won the odd-numbered sets to down UW-Stevens Point (22-9) for its 10th victory in its last 11 matches. The Oles also own victories over then-No. 23-ranked Otterbein University on Sept. 1 and the then-No. 4-ranked University of Northwestern on Oct. 18.

Cheng blew past her previous career high of 15 kills by recording 20 with just four errors on 38 swings to hit .421 while also contributing 13 digs in her first double-double of the season. The fifth-year senior had not had more than seven kills in a match this season entering the night. Cheng was one of three Oles in double figures in kills, as senior Catherine Moore had 17 and classmate Anysia Caille added 14.

Sophomore Paige Christophersen joined Cheng in registering a double-double with 30 assists, 11 digs, and three aces, while sophomore Skylar Fildew totaled 21 assists and six digs. Fifth-year senior Selena Rodriguez made 28 digs – her third-highest total of the season – to go with eight assists and an ace, while sophomore Morgan Ryan matched her season high with 21 digs.

Both teams hit above .350 in the opening set, as St. Olaf overcame a slow start to take the set, 25-23. After trailing 8-2 early, the Oles battled back to take their first lead of the set at 16-15 and neither team led by more than one from that point until a UWSP service error and a kill by Moore gave St. Olaf a 23-21 advantage. The teams alternated points on the final four points of the season, with Moore providing her sixth kill on her 14th swing of the set to close it out.

The Oles led 7-4 early in the second before the Pointers won 16 of the next 19 points to open up a sizeable 20-10 cushion. St. Olaf responded with a 7-1 run to get within four at 21-17 but could not get any closer.

Cheng got going in the third set, tallying eight kills on 13 swings to lead St. Olaf to a 25-15 set win and a two-sets-to-one lead. Cheng and Caille both had two kills in a 7-0 run that gave the Oles a 13-6 lead midway through the set and St. Olaf led by at least six for the remainder of the set. Led by Cheng, the Oles hit .314 in the set and Rodriguez provided nine digs to help limit the Pointers to a .105 attack percentage.

Cheng delivered seven more kills in the fourth set, but Lauren Shaw and Ashley Kopp combined for 11 kills in the set to lead UW-Stevens Point to a 25-18 set win. The visitors jumped out to a 12-4 lead, but St. Olaf hung around by getting within three at 16-13. That was as close as the Oles got, however, as Kopp had a pair of kills in a 4-0 run as the Pointers sent the match to a decider.

After trailing 4-3 early in the fifth, St. Olaf won five-straight points to go up 8-4 at the switch of sides, with Cheng starting the run with back-to-back kills. UW-Stevens Point won five of the next seven points to get within one at 10-9, but the Oles responded with a 4-2 spurt to bring up three match points at 14-11. The visitors saved the first two with blocks before Moore hammered a kill off the UWSP block to seal the victory.

St. Olaf will begin its run in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs with a home match against Concordia-Moorhead in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 6.