Pipers sweep Oles for victory

The women’s volleyball team improved their record to 8-6 after defeating St. Olaf 3-0 last Saturday.

Sophomores+Miquel+Green+and+Michelle+Mattke%2C+juniors+Lynsey+Reimer%2C+Paige+Walters+and+Steph+Kaup%0Aand+senior+Molly+Hurrle+celebrate+a+point+scored+in+their+victory+against+the+Oles.%0A%28Photo+by+Gino+Terrell%29

Sophomores Miquel Green and Michelle Mattke, juniors Lynsey Reimer, Paige Walters and Steph Kaup and senior Molly Hurrle celebrate a point scored in their victory against the Oles. (Photo by Gino Terrell)

Gino Terrell, Senior Reporter

Last Saturday, Sept. 21, the Pipers swept St. Olaf 3-0 to help catapult them to an 8-6 record this season. Their victory has also tied up their conference record: as they are now 1-1 in the MIAC.

On Saturday, the Pipers took control of the first two sets of the game against St. Olaf. They won the first 25-20 and dominated in the second, winning 25-15. In their third match, St. Olaf surprisingly took the lead. The Oles managed to spark up some momentum in Hutton Arena, and build their biggest lead of the night. Down 13-17, The Pipers began to rally themselves back in the match, eventually tying it up at 20.

During the third set, a timeout was called just as the Pipers took the lead at 23-22.

“There’s still three points left in this game. Let’s not look at the end result,” Pipers’ head coach Becky Egan told the team during the short pause in play.

The team remained focused and closed out the game in the third set, managing to score three straight points to come up with a win. Egan said that her team’s mental toughness and ability to keep their composure ultimately helped them attain a victory, which has become a theme in the past few weeks for the Pipers.

The women’s volleyball team will travel to St. Peter, Minn. to face Gustavus on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Egan said her philosophy will remain the same. She believes her teams’ high discipline will be a key factor during the matches, and they only have one minor weakness.

“We are a very strong team; we just have to stay consistent,” Egan said.