The crowds have been growing at recent St. Olaf volleyball games, and these women are not disappointing their fans.

The team has performed brilliantly throughout this season, meeting every obstacle head on, and their 8-2 record in the MIAC (17-4 overall) shows that. The team has also been steadily moving up the rankings, as they are currently third in the central region. The MIAC is well represented in the rankings with Saint Maryıs University, Macalester College, and Bethel College ranked fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

The women were coming off a tough loss to the University of St. Thomas heading into their match against the College of St. Catherine. They came out firing and made it clear from the get-go that it was going to be an Ole day.

Olaf took care of each set meticulously and used a balanced attack to win the match in three straight sets. The team used efficient and accurate setting by sophomore Brie Mattson and the spikes of sophomore Emily Ganzkow-Wold and senior captain Christina Moses to mount their offensive attack, but it was the Oles steady defense that proved to be the deciding factor.

The Oles understand now, as the season has progressed, that every game is a must win. With three other extremely tough teams in the conference, let downs will inevitably result in a drop in the standings. Going into the weekend, the women were tied with Macalester for second at 7-2, while St. Maryıs led the way at 8-1.

Both of these teams held their ground in this tight race, as St. Maryıs defeated Carleton College 3-0, and Macalester managed to hold on to a 3-1 victory over the College of Saint Benedict, while St. Thomas who was one game back going into the weekend, also came out victorious.

Stopping the Oles will be a task next left up to Carleton, whom the women faced on Wednesday. What has made the Oles so difficult to beat is their defense.

Individuals on the team have been recognized locally and even nationally for their offensive prowess, but it is the unrelenting and stingy defense of the Oles that has proven to be their biggest weapon.

The Oles have continued to show excellent anticipation and finesse when trying to dig out opposing teams spikes, resulting in many second chances for the Oles.

Carleton, however, is coming into the game fresh off a loss to St. Maryıs and will be anticipating this second chance to play upset-maker against the Oles.

When asked what St. Olaf needed to do to pull out a victory, Christina Moses said, "Stay together as a team, and keep a high level of intensity."

The women are impressing everybody but themselves and as the regular season draws to a close the Oles want to have upward momentum going into the playoffs.

So what will it take to walk away with the MIAC tournament trophy? Christina Moses believes, "We need to concentrate on our own game, not what our opponents are doing. If we do that we are unbeatable." Unbeatable is a strong word, but as the crowds at the games continue to grow, so do the hearts of these young ladies.