Box Score As is the case for all teams on Opening Day, Hamline's volleyball team dreamed of extending their season past the scheduled Nov. 1 ending. 

Dreams do sometimes come true.

The Pipers overran St. Catherine, 3-1, Saturday afternoon at Butler Center.  In doing so, they have clinched their first MIAC postseason appearance since 2007 -- the year the current playoff format was inaugurated. 

With a 5-5 league record -- and one match to go at Carleton next Friday -- the Pipers are already locked into sixth place in the conference. They hold a one-game lead over Bethel and Macalester but own the tiebreaker over both schools. They are a game behind fifth place St. Mary's but the Cardinals hold the tiebreaker there. 

So, Hamline knows when they will play -- Tuesday, November 5 at 7:00 p.m. But they don't know who or where they will play. That is still to be decided as Concordia, St. Thomas, Augsburg and St. Benedict need to play out their final games next week.

There is plenty of time to think about that later.

For now, the onus is on a team that had won just two conference matches in the past two seasons. They amputated a two match losing streak with a solid effort against the Wildcats. 

HU won the first two sets, 25-20 and 25-19 but dropped the third set, 21-25. They came from behind to take a 25-23 nail biter in the fourth set to end the match and put the finishing touches on the playoff hopes.

Caitlyn Gottwald had another excellent day, recording 18 Kills. Sam Greeney-Hamlin continued her climb up the statistical charts with a 16 Kills, 1 error effort. The senior hit .375 for the day and ranks fifth in the conference with a .344 figure.

Molly Hurrle was solid in her supporting role with 51 assists and 12 digs. Lynsey Reimer led all diggers with 26. Both ranks third in their specialties among all MIAC performers. 

Hamline is now 16-12 overall under first year head coach Becky Egan. They will play a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday at Hutton Arena against North Central (3:30 p.m.) and UW-Stout (7:30 p.m.). They'll wrap up the regular season a Carleton on Nov. 1.

And then the second season begins.