ST. PAUL, Minn. – On Friday night, the Saint Mary's volleyball team (10-9, 1-2) earned their first conference victory of the season over the Hamline Pipers (4-12, 1-3). The three-set sweep topped the night, and head coach Amber Zitzow also notched her 50th win as a Cardinal.
SMU 3, HAM 0
Two kill shots by Kali Olson set the tone for set one. Aided by an ace by Lavin LeJeune and a kill by Kaia DePaolo, the Cardinals found themselves up 5-2 early. Ayla Olson went on a personal five-point run to bring life to her team, both at the service line and at the net.Â
Cardinals took set one, 25-19.
Trailing early in set two, 5-1, the Cardinals forced consecutive errors for the Pipers, which sparked a few runs for the Cardinals. Ayla and Kali Olson each picked up kills before tough serves from the two also proved too much for the Pipers' defense. Late in the rally, 20-12, the Cardinals fed the hot hand of Ava Berg to finish the set on top 25-20.
Kali Olson recorded the first four kills in set three, as the senior leader was looking to make the final push. Berg and the Olson sisters continued to force errors on the Pipers and extended the lead to 18-11, forcing a Pipers timeout. The Pipers came back to tie things up 19-19, but late kills from Maddie Baker and DePaolo shut down the comeback, as the Cardinals took set three, 25-21.
The Cardinals finished with 35 kills and eight aces on the night.
Kali Olson led the team with 16 kills.
Looking Ahead
The team will be back in action tomorrow, Oct. 10, hosting a triangular with matches at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. facing the Macalester Scots and the Coe Kohawks.
