WINONA, Minn. – The St. Olaf College volleyball team made it 17 wins in a row and remained undefeated in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play with a four-set (25-14, 23-25, 25-12, 25-23) victory over Saint Mary's University on Friday night at Saint Mary's Gym.

Sophomore Mehsa Krause, junior Evelyn Kreft, and senior Holly Jelinek all tallied double-digit kills to power St. Olaf (21-6, 9-0 MIAC) to the four-set victory over Saint Mary's (10-14, 3-5 MIAC). The Oles' 17-match winning streak is the third-longest in program history and its longest since 1994.

St. Olaf, which received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll for the sixth week in a row this week, remained atop the MIAC standings and secured a top-two seed – and the bye that goes with it – in the MIAC Playoffs with the victory. The Oles will secure the MIAC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed with one win in their final two conference matches or one loss by Gustavus Adolphus College in its final three MIAC contests.

Krause matched her career high with 17 kills while adding 10 digs and three services on a night where she hit .316. Kreft added 15 kills with a .522 attack percentage, while Jelinek tallied a season-high 10 kills on 19 errorless swings (.526) for the Oles, who hit .287 as a team. St. Olaf also had a season-high 14 aces in the win, including seven from senior Paige Christophersen, who also recorded 25 assists.

Senior Morgan Ryan registered 21 digs, four assists, and two aces to help the Oles hold the Cardinals to a .143 attack percentage on the night. Kali Olson had 17 of Saint Mary's 38 kills and hit .433 for the hosts.

Despite hitting a match-low .182 in the opening set, St. Olaf relied on its defense to take the opener, as the Oles limited the Cardinals to seven kills and seven errors in the set. St. Olaf broke open the set with an 11-1 extended run that resulted in a 20-8 lead.

Both teams hit over .330 in the second set, as Saint Mary's leveled the match at a set apiece by recording 15 kills and just two errors for a .419 attack percentage. Olson recorded eight kills on 11 swings in the set, which included nine ties and three lead changes. St. Olaf held a 20-17 lead late on before the hosts closed the set on an 8-3 run.

Christophersen delivered three consecutive aces early on in a 10-2 start to the third set for the Oles, who went on to take the set by a 25-12 margin after hitting .360. Miller and Kreft combined for nine kills on nine swings for St. Olaf, which led by as many as 14 in the third to go up 2-1.

St. Olaf finished off the win in the fourth set thanks, in part, to 15 kills from the trio of Krause, Kreft, and Jelinek. The two teams were tied on 12 occasions in the set, but the Oles won five of the final six points to overcome a late 22-20 deficit. After the Cardinals led 23-22, Jelinek created the 12th tie of the set before Krause provided back-to-back kills to complete the late rally.

The Oles will host Augsburg University (5 p.m.) and fourth-ranked UW-Eau Claire (7 p.m.) on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Skoglund Center.