In a season during which the St. Olaf women's volleyball team came up short of their goal, a MIAC regular season title, they redeemed themselves this past weekend by winning the conference tournament and clinching an automatic NCAA tournament bid.

With wins over the College Saint Benedict's (3-1), Macalester College (3-1), and Saint Mary's University (3-1) the Oles, ranked 17th in the AVCA Coaches Poll, earned their fifth MIAC Conference Tournament Title. St. Olaf had won four consecutive tournament titles from 1993 to 1996.

The team received the second seed in the Central Regional, which will be held in Pella, IA at Central College. St. Olaf gets a first round bye and will face the winner of the Marian College/UW-Oshkosh match.

Cindy Book had a great tenth season as head coach. During the season she earned her 500th career victory and now a seventh post-season appearance. A three time MIAC Coach of the Year, Book is excited about the state of the volleyball program. "It sounds like a cliché, but our success all stems from a couple things," said Book. "We have a good work ethic, pride, and self motivation. They're excited to play, to practice, and to work."

The team faces a difficult schedule every fall as Book continues to book matches against the top volleyball schools in the nation.

"In order to be a top team, you have to see what the top teams are doing," said Book. "We will continue to do that and I know for next year we already are scheduling games against talented teams." In 33 matches this season the Oles faced 17 regionally or nationally ranked teams.

St. Olaf has a balance of youth and experience this season with three seniors, two juniors, three sophomores, and three first-years seeing time on the court.

In 1996, a team dominated by seniors went on to finish third in the nation, but in the three years following St. Olaf fell short of winning an MIAC regular season or tournament title. Since '96 Book has sought more of a balance on the roster and next year with more players returning, there is reason to believe Ole volleyball will continue to see success.

After the conference tournament junior Nicole Trnka and sophomore Brie Mattson were named to the All-MIAC first team. "We've got a lot of really good players this season, but Nik [Trnka] and Brie [Mattson] stand out," said Book. "Nik draws a lot of attention from other teams and she still finds a way to get the ball down. You can tell other teams watch the film, because when she goes to the net she faces a lot of triple blocks, which means someone else isn't getting blocked."

Senior Christina Moses was named to the All-MIAC second team and sophomore Shannah Olson was an honorable mention. "Everyone contributes, we're not just the Brie and Nik show," said Book. "We've got a very balanced attack around Brie. Emily [Ganzkow-Wold], Shannah [Olson], Katie [Allenson], and Christina [Moses] have all really improved as hitters, while Molly [Swenson] and Jen [Knudson] have done an excellent job digging and serving."

The Oles have a tough draw in the Central Regional. The possible opponents for the Oles first match could be unranked Marian College or 16th ranked UW-Oshkosh. UW-Oshkosh features setter Christina Southward and middle blocker Jane Copenhaver, two of the top ranked kill percentage players in the country. "Oshkosh is a team we are very evenly matched with," said Book. "They have a very good setter who actually hits the ball. She'll turn and swing, so we have to pay attention to blocking her."

On the other side of the bracket is Central College. The Dutch are the number one seed in the region and finished the season ranked second in the AVCA Coaches Poll.

"Very rarely do teams get a game off [Central]," said Book. "We've faced them before in the finals and their home crowd is pretty amazing." The two-time NCAA Champions are led by 1999 all-Americans 6-1 middle hitter Candace Wilson and 5-9 junior setter Angie Nielsen.

The tournament starts on Nov. 9 and the Oles first match will take place Nov. 10 at 5:00 p.m. If St. Olaf wins they advance to the championship Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m.