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Women's volleyball team headed to nationals yet again

Le Ann Finger
November 10, 2002

The St. Olaf College women?s volleyball team won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) tournament championship game Saturday night over the University of St. Thomas, 30-26, 31-29 and 30-27. The 3-0 win gave the Oles an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national tournament on November 14 ? 16, 2002.

Success has been a trademark for the volleyball teams at St. Olaf, as this is the sixth time the team has won the MIAC tournament in the past ten years, finishing in second place three of those years.

First year head coach, Tracy Cook knows what it?s like to play in the national tournament. Cook is a 1998 graduate of St. Olaf College and was a four-year starter for the Ole volleyball team. She played on the winning MIAC championship team for three years as a student-athlete at St. Olaf and now in her first year as the head coach, she coached the team to the MIAC championship. Cook was a member of the 1996 Ole team that finished third in the nation. In 1997, Cook earned both the MIAC Player of the Year and a NCAA All-American honors. Prior to being named head volleyball coach this year, Cook served as the assistant volleyball coach for the past three seasons. The Oles were led by Shannah Olson (Sr., Elk River, Minn.) who had 13 kills and Brie Mattson (Sr., Anoka, Minn.) who had 42 assists. Olson and Mattson were named to the six-player All-Tournament team. Danica Finseth (FY, Chosen Valley, Minn.) and Emily Ganzkow-Wold (Sr., Madison, Wis./West) added 12 and 11 kills for St. Olaf in the victory.

Contact Le Ann Finger at 507-786-3315 or finger@stolaf.edu.