During the Carleton-St. Olaf Invitational on Sept. 19-20, St. Olaf Volleyball had a clean sweep, winning all three games. The last game of the weekend was against the number-one ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, their first victory over a number-one ranked team in the program’s history.
After a rough start to the season with many injuries and needing to change the lineup, the volleyball team took on a selfless mentality, working together to win 3-0.
“We just came in with a mindset that they have everything to lose and we have everything to gain,” Holly Jelinek ’26, outside hitter, said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “All the pressure was on them not to lose, and we really capitalized on that by bringing an immense amount of energy from the get-go.”
“When we came out strong and won the second set, I realized we had a real chance to sweep — and we did,” Maren Miller ’27, middle blocker, said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “That moment was such a proud achievement for all of us.”
“We were able to capitalize on tough moments, including beating [University of] Chicago for the first time, and I think that kind of opened our teams eyes to the fact that we are very capable of beating anyone who steps in our gym,” Jelinek said.
After their upset win, the team opened conference play on a high, playing Carleton College on Sept. 24 in another home game. They kept the energy up and set a high standard for conference play, winning 3-0.
“[This is] how we are going to set the standard; starting strong, [coming] in, and [showing] everyone how we are going to play during the MIAC [Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference],” Dori Hobbie ’26, a middle blocker, said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger.
After their game against Carleton, the volleyball team played Bethel University on Sept. 26, winning 3 sets to 1.
“At this point within conference play, every win counts, and every loss counts against us,” said Jelinek.
With the next game on Oct. 3, the volleyball team hopes to keep their current high.
