St. Olaf Volleyball celebrated the end of their regular season with an undefeated 11-0 season record and won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular season championship. They continue into postseason play, with the MIAC semifinals coming up.
This winning streak started back on Sep. 13 when they went up against Loras College and won 3-0. After that win, they proceeded with an 18-game winning streak, including a win against rival Carleton College in the Battle for the Bell.
On Nov. 11, the Oles went against Augsburg in a tight five-set match. Holly Jelinek ’26 and Dori Hobbie ’26 kept the Oles in the game and tied up the first set 25-25. Then, Jelinek saved another set point, making it 28-28. After this, St. Olaf went on to win four out of the final five points, winning the set 32-30. This strong start to the match became the Oles’ longest set of the season.
Augsburg took the second set 25-22, but St. Olaf came right back swinging, winning the third set 25-15. In a close fourth set, St. Olaf held off Augsburg, but a kill on the final point sent them into a fifth set. Libero Morgan Ryan ’26 had a match-high of 29 digs, alongside her eight assists and two aces. In the final set, the Oles had a 6-1 run to break a tie and open up a 10-15 advantage. Mehsa Krause ’28 delivered 3 kills in the final set, allowing a win of 15-10. This win secured St. Olaf’s first MIAC regular-season title since 2010 and sixth conference crown in program history.
This winning streak got snapped in a four-set loss versus No. 4-ranked UW-Eau Claire. After UW-Eau Claire took the first two sets, St. Olaf began to make a comeback with a 24-22 deficit late in the third set, but UW-Eau Claire took the fourth set, breaking the Oles’ winning streak. This 18-match winning streak now stands as the third-longest run in St. Olaf Volleyball program history.
Despite this loss breaking their streak, it didn’t break their spirit, as they continued on to start a new winning streak. St. Olaf Volleyball kept on moving, going up against Bethany Lutheran College on Nov. 5, winning 3-1 while also celebrating Senior Night. 11 Oles on the team had at least one kill, but Krause paced St. Olaf with 13 kills, 12 digs, and three aces. On Nov. 8, the team also took on UW-Superior and St. Scholastica, winning both matches 3-0.
St. Olaf Volleyball continues on to the MIAC Playoff semifinals on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in Bob Gelle Court at Skoglund Center.
