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Oles lose to Bethel in MIAC final

Brie Mattson
November 5, 2001

The MIAC Conference Tournament became a roller coaster for St. Olaf?s volleyball team this year. The tournament was hosted by Bethel College this past weekend, November 2nd and 3rd. Although the result of the Oles hard work did not gain them an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, they did bring home a feeling of overall satisfaction for the season?s performance and second place for the tournament, as well as many individual awards within the team. St. Olaf took the match on Friday night against the University of St. Thomas in three games; 30-24, 31-29, 30-20. However, Bethel College overtook the Oles 3-1 on Saturday night with game scores of 30-24, 25-30, 28-30, and 27-30.

In the match against the University of St. Thomas, the Oles hit the peak of their roller coaster weekend. This highly energized match was jam-packed with great offense displayed by the Oles. Brie Mattson (Jr., Anoka, Minn.) spread the offense out from side to side, assisting in the success of the entire team?s 47 total kills. What made the match so memorable was the comeback run of points the Oles scraped together to create their victory. Several times it was the blocking and the serving that produced the points as well as the inspiration for the Oles. Nicole Trnka (Sr., Morristown, Minn?Bethlehem Academy) could not be stopped and was almost flawless in the execution of her offense, hitting .526 for the match. From this high, the Oles prepared to take on the Royals at Bethel College with the hope of redemption for the only conference loss.

The teams were very competitive and evenly matched from the first point until the last point of the match. The Oles continued the up side on the roller coaster in the first game, claiming the victory by besting Bethel with the Ole offense. The downward thrust hit thereafter with struggling serve receive and serving. The teams were head to head with offense, both acquiring just over 50 kills, creating an intense match that focused greatly on digging and serve-receiving. During the second game, Trnka reached her career 2000th hit and led the Oles along side Senior Katie Allenson (Champlin, Minn.) who led the team in attach percentage of .450. Each game was a struggle to gain the edge and momentum back from the Royals. In the end, it was Bethel that played the stronger match.

The Oles overall success and hard work during the season brought them team honors through individual All-Conference and All-Tournament awards. Shannah Olson (Jr., Elk River, Minn.) earned a 2nd team All-Conference award, while Trnka and Mattson both received 1st team All-Conference awards as well as both receiving All-Tournament awards. The season for the Oles ended with an overall record of 25-4. The team extends a thank you to all those fans that participated in the success of the season by so faithfully supporting the Oles, both traveling to away games and also joining the crowd at home.

Contact Judy Stromayer at 507-786-3315 or stromaye@stolaf.edu.