Junior Michelle Mattke said the Pipers have been aiming “to be a threat to other teams,” and head coach of the 2013 MIAC Co-Champion Augsburg Auggies, Jane Becker, confirmed the Pipers are.

“Our match tomorrow against Hamline is a huge match. We are not taking them lightly by any means,” Becker said the day prior to the game. “The middles are very involved and very talented. They’re very scrappy defensively…they’re a team that has a no quit attitude for sure.”

The Pipers went 1-1 in conference play last week. They won at Macalester 3-0 on Oct. 8 but suffered their first home loss to the Auggies, 3-1, on Oct. 10. The Pipers are the front runner in a four way tie for third place in the MIAC and will play St. Mary’s tonight, Oct. 15, for another MIAC showdown.

Mattke said to win against Macalester was important, even though they were at the bottom of the conference.

“They’re a team that has a lot of heart,” Mattke said. “[In the MIAC,] everyone is going to fight to win. Everyone tries so hard…you never know what to expect.”

The win catapulted the Pipers to tie at second place with the Auggies in the MIAC standings coming into their homecoming game which was against the Auggies. The team was pushing for fan support and made it their “neon night” to create a buzz around campus where word even got out to Augsburg’s campus in Minneapolis.

“I hear its neon night,” Becker said. “I expect Hamline to come out ready to play, a lot of energy…Hamline’s an exciting team to get behind so I’m assuming their fans are pretty pumped up.”

The Pipers won the first set of the night 26-24, but lost the following three sets. The game moved the Auggies to second place in the MIAC behind St. Thomas, as the Pipers are in a four way tie for third.

Mattke said a win would have sent a message to the MIAC.

“It will help solidify our place as a team to look out for in the MIAC,” Mattke said.

Senior Stephanie Kaup elaborated.

“We’ve always wanted that from day one, we’ve always wanted to intimidate teams when we walk into the gym,” Kaup said.

Although the Pipers lost, they’re still further ahead than they have been in previous years.

Becker said it’s been fun seeing Hamline volleyball grow as a program as she became the head coach of Augsburg in 2010, the year Hamline’s volleyball program began making changes when former head coach of the Pipers Audrey Ludwig (2010-12) took over.

Becker said both teams were near the  middle to bottom of the MIAC prior to when they came in and before their game on Oct. 10, they were both tied for second in the MIAC.

“Audrey did a really good job of getting Hamline on the map and recruiting some good players, and now [head coach] Becky [Egan] has even taken it a step further. She’s an extremely good technical coach,” Becker said.

Kaup attributes their recent success to the coaching staff who’s been with the team the past two years.

“My coaches love to push me hard in practice and they have high expectations for all of us and they will not let you fail those expectations. They will push you until you succeed,” Kaup said. “We just have a great support system that allows us all to flourish and become better players and better people in general.”

Mattke said Egan is who helped elevate her game as she made adjustments to the way she played volleyball the 12 years prior to Egan’s arrival. Mattke grasped the new techniques and methods Egan’s coaching staff implemented and said it has made her a better player.

Egan said this year’s success was steered by their four seniors, who set expectations for the nine newcomers on the team.

“Our senior class is just amazing. The leadership and the poise that they have out there,” Egan said. “Those four: you got Lynsey [Reimer], Steph [Kaup], Paige [Walters] and Caitlyn [Gottwald], who are the ones that came in and just set the tone for the season…it allows me to sit back a little bit and just be proud momma. That’s what we preached last year and for them to step up and be like ‘heck yeah’ this is who we are is pretty cool, I’m really proud of them.”

Walters, co-captain, said having the dynamic of a senior class on Hamline volleyball has been something they’ve never had as a team during her time here. As a first-year, she came in with a pack of 14 other first-years with one sophomore and junior in front of them.

“It’s just crazy to have this dynamic finally and to see that after we leave it’s going to keep going,” Walters said. “It’s just a cool feeling to know that we’re leaving something [here] and to keep the ball rolling…it’s really exciting when we get freshmen, you see them doing something and you think ‘okay, they’re going to be okay after we leave.’ Kind of our whole moma duck standpoint.”

Walters said the team has a close bond.

“We’re kind of like a family, everyone brings their own unique personality to the table. As quiet as it is, as rambunctious as it is, we all kind of fit together in an odd enough way for us to get along. We’re all just best friends,” Walters said.

Egan said she’s excited to see what the Pipers can do this season. The Pipers have five conference games remaining on their schedule and if the playoffs started yesterday they’d be hosting a first round playoff game with their current MIAC standing.

“We are capable of so much, we are so strong and so athletic. Our volleyball intelligence has gone up tremendously,” Egan said. “I want to beat people who we are quote, not supposed to beat. We were slotted to finish 8th, I feel we can finish in that top six slot that we finished last year.”

Kaup said she wants to leave it all on the court as she’s entering the final games of her career.

“It’s your senior season so you just have to love the game you’re playing, that you’ve played for half of your life and just have passion,” Kaup said. “You have to have a lot of determination…you have to put in a lot of time and effort into making your dreams come true.”