ST. PAUL, Minn. – The St. Olaf College volleyball team improved to 8-0 in true road matches this season with a 25-19, 25-20, 25-21 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) sweep of St. Catherine University on Saturday afternoon at the Butler Center.
After suffering its second conference loss of the season on Friday night, St. Olaf (19-6, 6-2 MIAC) moved to 6-0 on the season following a loss with the sweep of St. Kate's (5-16, 3-5 MIAC). The Oles, who received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)-Taraflex national poll this week, held the Wildcats to a .101 attack percentage to grab their 14th victory in the last 15 matches in the series.
On an afternoon where St. Olaf's offense hit just .183 for its fifth-lowest mark of the season, the Oles had nine total blocks while keeping the Wildcats to an attack percentage of .120 or lower in all three sets. Senior Maren miller was in on five total blocks, sophomore
Zahara Johnson was part of four, and junior
Mehsa Krause was in on three. Six Oles recorded between five and seven kills in the win, with Miller, Krause, and senior
Lilah Van Scoyoc tying for the team lead with seven apiece.
After falling behind 8-5 early, St. Olaf won nine of the next 10 points to take control of the opening set with a 14-9 lead, as junior
Carlie Beckstrand delivered four consecutive kills during the run. The Oles' lead was just two at 18-16 before St. Olaf closed the set on a 7-3 run that included two kills and two blocks by Johnson.
St. Kate's was poised to tie the match at a set apiece with a 20-17 lead late in set two, but St. Olaf won the final eight points of the set to steal it. Miller led the late-set charge with two kills and three total blocks to end a set that included 11 ties.
The teams were tied on 10 occasions in the third set, including at 14-14 before the Oles took six of the next seven points to open up a 20-15 lead. The Wildcats closed the gap to two at 21-19 before Krause helped St. Olaf finish off the sweep with two kills on the final six points.
The Oles will visit St. Paul for a 7 p.m. non-conference match at the University of Northwestern on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
