MOORHEAD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College volleyball team overcame a slow start to record a 16-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-15 victory over Concordia-Moorhead to remain unbeaten in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play on Friday night at Memorial Auditorium.

After dropping the opening set, St. Olaf (11-6, 3-0 MIAC) rattled off the final three – all by seven points or more – to defeat Concordia (4-9, 0-2 MIAC) for the ninth consecutive meeting, a streak that started in 2017. The Oles received votes in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)/Taraflex Division III Women's Volleyball Poll.

Sophomore Mehsa Krause compiled her third double-double of the season with a team-high 12 kills and 10 digs for St. Olaf, which hit .176 in the win but held Concordia to a .046 clip. Junior Evelyn Kreft and sophomore Carlie Beckstrand added nine kills apiece, while junior Lilah Van Scoyoc chipped in with eight.

Senior Morgan Ryan matched her season-high total with 35 digs, while junior Michaela Dooley contributed 12 in the back row. Senior Paige Christophersen tallied 19 assists, eight digs, and two aces, while junior Sophie Saxton recorded 17 assists, nine digs, and one ace.

Concordia stormed out to a 6-0 lead to start the match and never relinquished the lead in the opening set. St. Olaf got within a point at 9-8 early and was down just two at 11-9 before the Cobbers took control with a 10-1 run to build a 21-10 lead.

After committing eight attack errors in the opening set, St. Olaf had just two in the second on its way to leveling the match at a set apiece. Krause, Kreft, and Van Scoyoc combined for 10 of the Oles' 11 kills in the set, as St. Olaf got out to a 9-4 lead early and maintained the lead for the remainder of the set.

Five Oles tallied multiple kills in the third set to help St. Olaf to a two-sets-to-one lead. Junior Maren Miller delivered kills on two of St. Olaf's first three points of the set as part of an 8-3 start to the set. The Oles never trailed after the strong beginning to the set and hit a match-best .353 in the third.

St. Olaf finished off the four-set victory by limiting Concordia to four kills and a -.087 attack percentage in the fourth. The Oles broke a 3-3 tie with a 7-1 run – that included three kills by Beckstrand – to build a 10-4 lead and led by at least five the rest of the way.

St. Olaf will play at home twice on Saturday, Oct. 4, facing Nebraska Wesleyan University at 1 p.m. and UW-La Crosse at 5 p.m. in a tri-match.