On the evening of Friday Oct. 1, St. Olaf Volleyball finally played their first home match of the season, beating the Macalester Scots in a clean three sets. Students and parents alike filled the Skoglund Center gym to cheer on the Oles. A section of Macalester supporters also took up a small portion of the stands, but their cheers were no match for the enthusiasm of the St. Olaf crowd. The student section remained on their feet for the entirety of the game, with a chorus of voices chanting, “Let’s go, Oles!” and “I believe that we will win!”
During the first two sets, the Oles were able to maintain a comfortable lead, sometimes in the double digits, and easily made their way to 25 points before the Scots. The competition was much tighter at the beginning of the third set, as the Oles and Scots remained within a couple points of each other. However, the Oles pulled ahead once again. Katelyn Lannom ’22 scored the match winning point for the Oles with a powerful kill, taking the third set 25-20 to win the match with three sets to zero. After the win, the team led the students’ section in a joyous rendition of the St. Olaf Fight Song to celebrate the victory.
Overall, the match featured an impressive performance by the Oles. Anysia Caille ’24 had a career-high of 11 kills, the most of the match. Libero Selena Rodriguez ’23 also showed up for the Oles on the defensive end with 13 digs, many of which required dives across the court.
The win marked the team’s second victory in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play this season. Then, on Saturday Oct. 2, the Oles dealt a 3-1 loss to Hamline University. Their record in the MIAC is now 3-0. St. Olaf Volleyball will next face St. Catherine’s University at home on Oct. 8. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Skoglund Center gym, so make sure to show up to support the Oles as they attempt to continue their winning streak!
